


Roommates

by seekeronthepath



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (in regards to Check Please), (in regards to Teen Wolf), AU: Stiles goes to Samwell, Alpha Derek Hale, Canon Compliant, Crossover, Established Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Everybody Lives, M/M, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Stiles and Bitty are roommates, Supernatural reveal, Supportive Derek Hale, Supportive Stiles Stilinski, Texting, give Bitty queer friends, kitchen witch Eric Bittle, mix of texting and descriptions, warnings for canonical mental health issues and past homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-04 01:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 38,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21189254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekeronthepath/pseuds/seekeronthepath
Summary: When Stiles moves across the country for college and gets put in a room with a cheerful, adorable blond kid, he swears to adopt him and keep him safe from all harm.Derek thinks this is a little over the top.Either way, both of them get attached.(An RP between seekeronthepath and Inkinhart)





	1. 1.1 - Eric Bittle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Inkinhart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkinhart/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Dudeliet and His Bromeo](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11733459) by [HugeAlienPie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HugeAlienPie/pseuds/HugeAlienPie). 
**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU is your standard 'everyone lives, fuck the alpha pack' Teen Wolf canon-divergent thing, picking up all your favourite pack members and adding in Spark Stiles as well. The format is going to be a mix of texting and descriptive, and chapter lengths are kind of variable.

So my roommate here is like. Unendingly peppy. SS

This is just .......... SS

So weird. There's pie EVERYWHERE. SS

I'm sure you've lived through weirder things - DH

Is it good pie? - DH

It's very good pie. I've eaten seven. SS

And you haven't exploded? - DH

Not yet. It's a near thing. SS

But this guy is SO CHEERFUL. SS

He's worse than Scott. SS

That's impressive - DH

It really is. SS

I think he vlogs, too. SS

And my gaydar goes INSANE around this guy, too. SS

So...cheerful blogging gay pie guy? - DH

Any other distinguishing features you think I should know? - DH

He's adorable. SS

I wanna adopt him. SS

He's your age - DH

Presumably - DH

You can't adopt him - DH

He's my age, yeah. SS

Can I like, quasi-adopt him? SS

[delay] Stiles, what are you planning? - DH

To adopt this kid and keep him safe from all harm? SS

Uh-huh. And what's his place in all this? - DH

Nothing ...... SS

You're going to adopt him and, what, not tell him anything? - DH

Nope. SS

Maybe slip some protection runes into his shoes. SS

Stiles. - DH

Derek. SS

Benevolent non-consensual magic is still non-consensual magic - DH

You /know/ this - DH

What if one of his other friends can tell? - DH

What if /he/ can tell? - DH

I seriously doubt this kid has one magical cell in his body. SS

Though his pie ......... SS

Anyway, how the fuck do I explain magic? Hey, kid, you should wear this weird talisman to keep you safe from demons? SS

This kid's from freakin Georgia, Der. SS

And Georgia is inherently less magical than California because... - DH

Because magic in Georgia = devil worship? SS

And werewolves in California equals... - DH

Mountain lions. SS

I don't want my new roommate to judge me for being into freaking magic, Der. SS

Call it a good luck charm, then. Something that sounds innocuous. But you need to give him at least some choice - DH

Ughhhhhhhhhhhh. SS

Fine. SS

Good - DH

You're the worst, you know. SS

For talking you out of impulsive bad decisions? - DH

Yep. SS

Worst boyfriend. SS

I'm wounded. Truly wounded. I shall return to my mansion of despair and weep for my broken heart. - DH

Don't mock me when I'm pouting at you. SS

Sure - DH

I'm building in anti-everything defences, just so you know. SS

All the defences. SS

Then he'll be safer than anyone I know - DH

Because this kid is adorable and innocent and he's staying that way. SS

Everyone grows up eventually - DH

Not if I have anything to say about it. SS

Well, tell him congratulations on finding a working oven from me - DH

I will. SS

\-----

The kid plays hockey. SS

He plays knife shoe fight sport. SS

I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear that new name for his chosen specialty - DH

This kid is five foot seven AT MOST. SS

If he weighs 120lbs I'll be surprised. SS

He must be very good, then - DH

He's trying to kill me. SS

He's trying to enjoy college - DH

Taking risks happens to be a part of that - SS

He's going to be crushed. SS

Pancaked. SS

He's survived so far - DH

His previous league was non-contact. SS

He'll be fine, Stiles - DH

I'm going to have a heart attack. SS

It's going to be okay, Stiles - DH

I'm dying, Derek. Don't you care that your boyfriend - who you love very much - is *dying*? SS

I do love you very much. But you're not going to die just because your friend takes risks - DH

That's the thing. He's not even my friend yet. SS

Maybe you should be having more conversations with him, then, instead of /about/ him - DH

I need somewhere to vent or I'll explode. SS

I know - DH

But seriously. Talk to him - DH

Ugh, fine. SS

Get stuff for gingersnaps and bake with him or something - DH

That's actually a decent idea. SS

I do have them occasionally - DH

I'm off to get gingersnap ingredients, then. SS

Let me know how it goes - DH

I will. SS

I love you. SS

I love you - DH

\-----

Gingersnaps were a hit. SS

They're very good gingersnaps - DH

His reaction wasn't quite werewolf level, but I reckon we're friends now. SS

So tell me about him, now that you've actually talked to him more - DH

Everything I said before still stands. SS

But I now know that he's only been playing hockey for a few years, he was a figure skater before then, he's not out to his parents (or anyone else), he's very close with his mother, and the hockey team kinda freaks him out. SS

Is he out to other people? - DH

No-one. SS

He didn't come out to me, but I can tell. SS

Does he know that you're bi? - DH

It might make him more comfortable - DH

Well, I talked extensively about my hot boyfriend. SS

Okay then - DH

I just don't think he's ready. SS

But when he is, I am there. SS

If he's from Georgia, his home probably wasn't as accepting as BH - DH

He alluded to a pretty traumatising bullying incident, so I'd say not. SS

What do you think happened? - DH

No idea, but he's super twitchy. SS

Do you think that's why the hockey team bothers him? - DH

Probably. I gestured in his direction and he flinched, and from what I've heard through the grapevine, the hockey team's famously loud and boisterous. SS

That's sad - DH

It is. I really want to help him, Der. SS

What are you going to do? - DH

No idea. SS

Maybe just ... be there? SS

Just being there is underrated - DH

Maybe just tell him that I've been through some shit too and can sympathize. Let him come to me after that. SS

Yeah - DH

I don't want to freak him out. SS

You don't have to tell him all of it for him to know you get it - DH

I suppose so. SS

Even just telling him a little bit about the things that happened at the beginning - DH

Yeah, that'll probably work. SS

You don't have to if you don't want to - DH

No, I want to. SS

What do you think you'll tell him? - DH

Dunno yet. SS

Let me know when you decide - DH

I'll make sure I'm around in case you need to talk after - DH

<3 Thanks. SS

You're the best boyfriend. SS

Same to you - DH

You're a good friend, too - DH

I'm sure he'll be okay - DH

I hope so. SS

He's such a lovely kid. SS

He's your age - DH

He's a kid. SS

He won't thank you for babying him - DH

I'm looking after him! SS

So long as it's looking after him like a friend, and not like a child - DH

Ugh, fine. SS

You're a good friend, Stiles - DH

You sure? SS

I'm sure. You can be overprotective - I know why, and I understand, but you can - but even so, he's lucky to have you - DH

I'll try not to smother him. SS

Good - DH

Love you - DH

I love you too. SS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited to post this one - Inkinhart and I actually wrote it a couple of years ago, and I'm only just now getting around to sharing it. So let us know what you think!


	2. 1.5 - Bad Bob Zimmermann

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Talking about Bitty's canonical mental health issues

Okay, I've got a hockey team to murder. SS

What did they do? - DH

They're making Eric think he needs to quit. SS

Why? - DH

Because they obviously have no souls. SS

I meant, why does he think he needs to quit? - DH

Apparently his captain yelled at him. SS

And he's not good at the whole tackling bit. SS

Because he's small? - DH

I think it's more than that. SS

[delay] You think this is about that thing that happened to him - DH

I do, yeah. SS

You don't faint on the ice for no reason. SS

He actually faints? - DH

Yep. SS

You could get a concussion that way - DH

I know. I'm worried. SS

[delay] Do you think he'd be comfortable talking to me? - DH

Maybe. I could always ask. SS

You can give him my number - DH

And tell him I have PTSD, if you think it will help - DH

I will. SS

Thanks, Der. SS

Of course, Stiles - DH

He's important to you - DH

It's weird. We've known each other less than a month, and I'd do some seriously shady stuff for him. SS

And how many things had you done for me by the first month after we'd met? - DH

Mainly accusing you of murder and exhuming your sister. SS

You also helped me - DH

Not as much as I, y'know. Got you arrested. SS

It worked out - DH

Yeah, it did. I love you. SS

I love you - DH

[delay] I've given him your number, be on the lookout. SS

\-----

Hi, is this Derek? ERB

Yes - DH

Are you Eric? - DH

Yes, that's me. Hi :) ERB

Stiles said you'd be good to talk to about my...problems with checking? ERB

I don't know how much I can help you - DH

But Stiles has good eyes, so when he told me he thought your issues were because of something that happened to you... - DH

Yeah, he's right. ERB

There's been a few...incidents. ERB

I'm not very good with words, so I'll have to be a bit blunt - DH

Some very unpleasant things have happened to me, and I have PTSD because of that - DH

For a long time, I didn't deal with it at all well, and I only started getting therapy in the last twelve months - DH

My bad experiences were probably not at all like yours - DH

Oh, I very much doubt it! What happened to me really wasn't anywhere near bad enough to give me PTSD or anything like that. ERB

But it was bad enough to make you faint on ice - DH

Well... I don't really faint, so much as...collapse? ERB

I'm still conscious, just...floppy. ERB

Alright. It was bad enough to make you collapse, when you're reminded - DH

Yeah. It wasn't that bad, though. ERB

'Bad' isn't defined by events. It's defined by your reactions - DH

And sometimes 'bad' is a cumulative thing - DH

I suppose that makes sense. ERB

I want you to know that your reaction to a tackle, that's not a failure on your part, okay? - DH

How do you know? Because it sure feels like a failure on my part. My team treats it like a failure on my part. ERB

Your mind is doing its best to protect you. The method isn't actually suited to the situation, but that's what's happening - DH

It's not something that's easy to control - DH

Can I stop it? ERB

How are you trying to fix it at the moment? - DH

Trying to force myself to stop doing it? ERB

Okay - DH

Imagine a little kid, who's scared of monsters in the closet or under the bed or something - DH

Does saying, 'there's nothing there, just go to sleep' work? - DH

No, it doesn't. ERB

Part of your brain is responding instinctively, not rationally - DH

You need to actually teach yourself that you're safe - DH

To extend the metaphor, turning the light on, or having a look with a torch - DH

It's really unpleasant, facing fear - DH

I don't know how to do it. ERB

What is it that scares you? Really? - DH

I'm not sure. ERB

I just collapse whenever I see someone coming at me. ERB

Only on the ice? - DH

Sometimes off. But normally people aren't coming at me off the ice. ERB

The team isn't tactile? - DH

They are, yeah. Not so much with me. ERB

I think they've figured me out. ERB

It's good that they're respecting what you need - DH

But... that's not what I need. I really like being touched and hugged and cuddled. Just... not as aggressively as most of the team does it. ERB 

I can understand that - DH

If you want them to do something different, you're going to have to communicate with them, though - DH

I don't know how. And I don't know if I want to. ERB 

Going up to these people that I've known all of two weeks and just being like 'hey, I know you all like rough housing and jumping on each other, but would you mind terribly if you just gently cuddled me?' ERB 

I don't think so. ERB

You could try showing them. Is there someone on the team you particularly trust? - DH

Not really. I've only known them for two weeks. ERB 

I'm still kinda waiting for the homophobia. ERB

I won't say you shouldn't be cautious - DH

But keep an open mind - they might not be as bad as you expect - DH

I really hope they're not. ERB 

I just don't trust them yet. ERB

That's not a problem, you know. Not trusting - DH

Yes, it is. They're my teammates. ERB 

I have to trust them. At least on the ice. ERB

You don't owe your trust to anyone - DH

You need to rely on them. But that doesn't mean you're required to never feel uneasy or unsure - DH

That's... ERB 

No one's ever told me that before. ERB 

Are you sure? ERB 

I'm sure - DH

Admittedly, I have trust issues - DH

But trust isn't something you owe people. Like love, or loyalty - DH

But I feel like I should trust them. ERB 

They're my team. ERB 

I can understand that - DH

Keep in mind that trust can be partial. You can trust someone not to actively try to murder you and still not trust them to keep your secrets. You can trust someone to help you against a common enemy, but not trust them to never hurt you - DH

That makes sense, I suppose. ERB 

But how do I learn to trust them at all? ERB

It's more about waiting for them to show they're worthy of it - DH

Or making opportunities for that - DH

How on earth do I do that? ERB 

You mentioned you were worried about homophobia? - DH

Yeah. Not because I'm necessarily... or anything. But people assume. ERB 

Well, maybe bring up some things that aren't about you, but are common targets for homophobia. Gay marriage, or men wearing makeup, or Captain America needing a boyfriend - DH

Okay. That's a good idea. Thanks. ERB

You're welcome - DH

And if you need a hug, try Stiles. He knows how to be gentle - DH

You'd be okay with that? ERB 

I would be a terrible boyfriend if I didn't let Stiles hug his friends - DH

And he's been wanting to, he just didn't want to make you uncomfortable - DH

Oh. Okay. ERB 

I like Stiles too. I think we could be really good friends. ERB

He'll be delighted to hear that - DH

I should tell him that. Bake him something nice as a thanks. ERB

He'll enjoy that. He loves your baking. A hug would be better though - he's lonely, not that he'd tell me - DH

Aw :( well, I'll definitely hug him. ERB 

And I'll be happy to make myself scarce if you want to visit. ERB

At some point. Though I'd like to meet you too - DH

Oh. Okay :) ERB 

I'll be sure to bake you something! ERB 

Thanks - DH

I hope this helped? - DH

It did. Thank you. ERB 

I'm going to go talk to Stiles. ERB 

Text me if you ever need anything - DH

I will. Thank you. ERB

\-----

Thanks for talking to him, Der. SS 

He seems a little lighter, now. SS 

He needs to learn about partial trust - DH

I'll see if I can help him out with that. SS

How has he been? - DH

Okay, I think. It's hard to know his baseline, though. But I think he's alright. And now all I need to do is find some moon-blessed silver, and we're good on his bracelet, too. SS 

You decided to go with that rather than a pendant? - DH

You can put charms on a bracelet. SS 

Also, I'm going to tell him that it's a religious thing. That my family's... pagan, or something. SS

If he ever meets your dad, that will be very awkward - DH

I'll just explain to Dad. SS

It's up to you - DH

It's easiest. If I tell him it's a religious thing it won't look as weird. SS

Fair enough - DH

So how's BH looking? Are the wards still okay? SS 

Wards are fine. We've had some people coming through, but they all had to ask for passage first, so that's working - DH

A Green Man came around the other day to ask about settling here - DH

Oh, good. We could use a population of friendly fae on the territory. SS 

The kelpie's still behaving, right? SS 

So far - DH

Well, as long as hikers aren't going missing. SS 

Did you ever figure out what happened to the unicorn? SS 

The only thing I'm sure of is that it didn't die on our territory - DH

It's possible it's still around, but more likely it moved on - DH

That's good. I liked Charlie, but he wasn't very friendly. SS 

Maybe because you kept calling him Charlie - DH

Charlie the unicorn? Did you miss those videos? SS 

I didn't. They were obnoxious - DH

At least you didn't miss the reference, then. SS 

I'm not completely hopeless - DH

No, just mostly. SS 

That's okay, though. It's cute. SS 

Whatever makes you happy - DH

You make me happy, boo. SS 

Mm. Well, I'm glad you've got Eric there to make you happy too - DH

Yeah. He makes me happy, too. SS 

I'm a lucky guy. SS 

And I'm lucky to have you - DH

Love you - DH

I'll talk to you later, Der. SS 

Maybe we could Skype tomorrow? SS 

Sounds good - DH

I'll call you at about ten? SS

I'll be online. Talk to you then - DH

\-----

You online now? SS 

Yeah, I'll call you - DH

I'm waiting xxxx SS

Derek ran a hand through his hair as he waited for the Stiles to answer, then got up to grab his headphones, with the end result that his ass was facing the screen when the call connected.

Stiles grinned. "Well, if it isn't the best view in the universe."

Derek snorted, rolling his eyes as he turned around and sat down. "Hi Stiles," he said dryly.

Stiles grinned and wiggled his fingers at Derek. "Hey, babe. It's good to see your face."

"It's good to see you too," Derek replied, smiling despite himself. "How are you?"

"Pretty good. I've just about everything-proofed the dorm room, so we won't be eaten in our sleep." Stiles leant back against the wall, adjusting his laptop in his lap. "There's a brownie living in the library, so I've started leaving it some milk every night."

"Somewhere the librarians won't notice, I hope," Derek said.

"I'm pretty sure the librarians know about him, actually. I think one of them might be a hedge witch?" Stiles shrugged. "Either way, I figure if I curry some favor I won't have to go trawling for books."

"What are you planning to do, leave a list conspicuously on a table and turn your back?" Derek said skeptically.

"Pretty much, yeah,” Stiles replied, smiling "So how are you?"

"I'm - " Derek sighed. "I'm missing you. Being away from pack is hard, and this is harder."

Stiles sighed. "I'm feeling it and I'm not even a wolf. I can't imagine how you feel."

"To be fair, you're the only one in Massachusetts," Derek pointed out. "I have more of the pack nearby."

"I suppose,” Stiles admitted. “Ugh, why did I decide to come all the way out here?"

"You wanted something different, they wanted you, and they were the most progressive college you could find," Derek said. It was a well-rehearsed list of reasons for both of them.

Stiles groaned. "Why did I have to go with what I wanted?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Because it was a good decision. You're less afraid there."

"But I'm so far away from my boyfriend," Stiles said with a pout

"It'll pass," Derek said, with more hope than certainty. "We'll be okay."

"I know. I mean, I'm your mate. A continent's nothing." Stiles gave Derek a small smile. "I love you, and nothing's changing that. I just miss you."

"I love you too," Derek said quietly.

Stiles was about to ask about the pack when Bitty burst into the room and dumped his gear bag on the floor. He paused when he saw Stiles was on Skype, wiping his eyes and backing away. "Oh. Sorry. I'll, uh... "

Stiles shot to his feet. "No. No, it's fine. Come in, sit down."

"Do you want me to go?" Derek offered.

Stiles shook his head. "No. It might be good for us all to talk." He pulled Bitty down onto the bed, curling around him as naturally as he would one of the pack. "So. What happened, Eric?"

Bitty sighed. "It's dumb."

Derek glanced at Stiles as he said, "It's not dumb if it made you feel bad." It was something Stiles had told him, and he'd told Stiles, before.

Stiles gave Bitty a gentle squeeze. Bitty sighed, curling into himself a little. "I collapsed on the ice at practice again today. Shitty wasn't even coming for me, I just... "

"You saw the movement out of the corner of your eye and reacted," Derek guessed.

Bitty nodded, sighing and resting against Stiles's side. "It's so embarrassing."

"It's not your fault," Derek countered. Which didn't make it any less embarrassing, he knew, but maybe it would help a bit.

"I just... I can't even cope with practice. How am I going to cope with a real game?" Bitty sniffed, looking away. "It’s dumb. Maybe I should just quit."

"I'm not going to tell you that you should ignore your feelings," Derek said quietly. "It takes a lot of bravery to keep doing something you fear, but it also takes a lot out of you. Still, what have your coaches said about this?"

"That I won't have a choice about leaving if I can't get over this." Bitty swallowed, his eyes watering a little. "If I get kicked off the team, I lose my scholarship."

Stiles gave Derek a worried look. "We'll help you," he promised.

"If we can," Derek agreed. There was only so much they could do when neither of them played hockey. "Have you considered asking someone on your team for help?"

Bitty flushed at that. "No. It's too embarrassing."

Derek leaned forward. "It's your choice," he emphasised. "But can you afford not to get help?"

Bitty was silent for a while before he sighed. "No. I can't."

Derek smiled sadly at him. "So the question is, who can you ask?"

Bitty grimaced. "Well... I know Ransom and Holster would help, but... they're so big."

"Aren't all your teammates big?" Stiles pointed out. "They're hockey players."

"Well, Shitty's only a few inches taller than me." Bitty frowned. "But I'm not sure we'd get much done."

"He's the nudist activist stoner with the pornstache, right?" Stiles checked.

Derek's eyebrows flew up. "What," he said flatly. 

Bitty nodded. "That's him. He's only four inches taller than me, so he's not too much bigger, but... again. I'm not sure how much we'd get done.”

"Yeah, from what I've heard he's kind of...distractible," Stiles agreed. "Not like me, but..."

Bitty nodded. "He is." He sighed. "I could ask Jack, but... well. He hates me."

"I'm sorry," Derek said. "For now, rehearse it. Imagine being on the ice, in as much detail as you can. Imagine someone coming at you, knocking into you. Imagine being okay after that, being physically okay and keeping on your feet, keeping moving."

Bitty went pale, burying his face in his hands and shaking his head. "I can't."

"Yes, you can," Derek said. "Stiles is right there with you, okay? He's not going to let anything bad happen to you. No one can hurt you right now."

Bitty gave Derek a flat look. "I know nothing can hurt me. That doesn't help, though. This isn't exactly a rational thing."

"Trust me, I'm aware," Derek said dryly.

Stiles nodded. "Dude, if there's anything Derek knows, it's trauma. He just means you should use me to help anchor yourself when you get caught up."

Bitty ducked his head. "Sorry. I just... how would I even do that?"

"I'm going to talk you through it," Derek explained. "And Stiles is going to hold you. And when you start panicking, we're going to talk you down."

Bitty bit his lip, his heart beating just a shade too fast, his pulse fluttering in his throat. "Uh... okay. Okay."

"If you're not okay with this, you don't have to," Stiles reassured him. "We can just hang out."

Bitty really wanted to accept Stiles's out, but he knew he couldn't. He needed to get this sorted out. "No, I need to do this."

"Okay." Derek gave Stiles a worried look, but at this point there was nothing to do but keep going. He knew Stiles would stop him if Bitty needed it but wasn't saying so. "I want you to close your eyes and imagine being on the ice in your hockey gear. Just skating laps, to start."

Bitty closed his eyes and did as Derek said, imagining he was in his gear, skating lazy laps around the rink. In his mind, the ice was perfectly smooth, the slide and crunch of his skates echoing in the empty building. He smiled to himself, relaxing a little.

It was good to see the evidence that Bitty genuinely did like parts of hockey. "That's good," Derek murmured. "Now imagine there are other people there too, just skating laps like you are, getting warmed up. Members of your team."

Bitty nodded, imagining the some of the rest of the team piling onto the ice. Ransom and Holster jumping over the barrier, Jack rolling his eyes as he stepped on as well, Shitty whooping as he put on speed to try and catch up. His lips twitched up again, a little more tension leaking from his shoulders. 

"You're just skating laps, everyone's friendly, having a good time," Derek murmured. "One of the guys comes up to skate beside you."

Bitty swallowed, tensing a little as he imagined Shitty coming up beside him. He took a deep breath and made himself relax again. 

Derek saw it, but he kept going. "He's talking to you, having fun, and you're skating steadily."

Bitty slowly started to relax again. "Okay."

"You're doing really well," Stiles murmured.

Bitty smiled. "Thanks." He gently squeezed Stiles's knee. 

"You're on the ice," Derek reminded Bitty quietly, "your teammate is teasing you, good-naturedly."

Bitty's lip quirked up. That definitely sounded like something Shitty would do. 

"He bumps you, from the side," Derek said carefully. This was the difficult bit.

Bitty tensed right up again, his hand curling into Stiles's shirt. 

"You don't fall," Derek said firmly. "You're knocked off-balance, but you recover. You keep moving forward."

Bitty took a few deep breaths and nodded, though he was still locked up tight. 

"You're still skating," Derek reiterated. "Your friend is still friendly, teasing. Nothing is wrong. Nothing has changed."

Bitty forced himself to relax, dropping his shoulders and taking a few deep breaths. 

"After a while, your friend goes off to do his own thing," Derek murmured. "You do a few more laps, just enjoying the ice."

Bitty slowly relaxed again, letting out a slightly shaky breath. 

"Well done," Stiles congratulated him quietly. "You got through it."

Bitty opened his eyes, giving Stiles a small smile. "I did, didn't I?" He looked over at Derek, giving him a slightly bigger smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Derek said warmly. "Do you think it helped?"

Bitty shrugged. "I suppose we'll see.”

"The more you do it, the easier it will get," Derek told him. "You won't get rid of your fear, probably, not entirely. But you can make it easier for you to keep going through that fear."

Bitty smiled. "Thanks, Derek."

"You're welcome," Derek said. "Any friend of Stiles'..."

Bitty nodded and shifted away a little. "I'll leave you two to it."

He didn't get far, though, not with Stiles' arms still looped around his waist. "Are you feeling better?" Stiles checked.

Bitty nodded, giving Stiles a small smile. "I'm okay. I think I'm just going to go find a free oven."

"Save me some?" Stiles begged, giving Bitty his most pathetic puppy eyes.

Bitty laughed. "Of course I will." He gave Stiles a brief hug and then moved to leave. 

"Stiles, let him go," Derek said, rolling his eyes, as Stiles wrapped Bitty in a tighter snuggle. "Eric has pies to bake."

Bitty giggled, cuddling into Stiles. "It's okay. I can bake later."

"So, Stiles is a cuddle addict," Derek said matter-of-factly, only to be interrupted by a peal of laughter from Stiles.

"I am not, you faker, you're the one who always insists on spending hours in bed whenever we meet up after a while," Stiles argued, grinning.

Bitty smiled, though it was a little melancholy. He wished he could have what Stiles and Derek had. "Well, I don't mind. I'm pretty tactile myself."

"Good," Stiles said firmly.

"Don't hesitate to tell him to knock it off if he's bothering you, though," Derek told Bitty. "He'll survive."

"No, it's fine. Really." Bitty smiled at Derek. "But... is this okay? With you? That your boyfriend's cuddling with another boy?"

"I know Stiles is loyal," Derek said, smiling back. "In the same way barnacles are loyal."

"Hey!" Stiles objected.

Bitty giggled, leaning into Stiles. "That must be nice."

"I trust him," Derek said, more seriously. "And touch, unlike sex, is something everyone needs."

Bitty smiled, resting his head on Stiles's shoulder. "It's nice how much you two trust each other. Back home, people think that a good relationship involves jealousy and possessiveness."

"I won't say that I can't be possessive sometimes," Derek admitted, "but platonic affection was so important in my family. I really don't see hugging, or cuddling, as a romantic thing."

Bitty sighed softly, wishing he had that with his own family. Sure, his mother hugged him, but she didn't really cuddle him as such, and God forbid his father give him more than a macho clap on the shoulder. "That sounds really nice."

"It was," Derek said quietly.

Stiles gave him a sad look, wishing he could be there to give Derek a hug.

Bitty went still as he finally caught the past tense. "Oh. I'm so sorry." He wanted to ask how it happened, and when, but he knew better than to pry. 

"...It's alright," Derek murmured. "It was...a long time ago, now."

"Still. Losing someone you love hurts." Bitty gave Derek a small smile. "You're very brave."

"He is," Stiles agreed quietly, and the pride in his eyes was wonderful for Derek to see.

Bitty smiled and pulled away from Stiles a little. "Are you sure you don't want some time alone?"

"Honestly?" Stiles said. "This is easier with a cuddle proxy. Not that we don't love you for who you are, of course, but..."

Derek snorted. "It gets lonely, being reminded of what you're missing," he explained. "We had some time to talk before you arrived, too."

Bitty smiled. "Well, I'm here whenever you need a cuddle proxy."

"And we're here whenever you need us too, okay?" Derek promised. "Stiles, do you want to show him the thing?"

Stiles grinned and jumped from his bed, nearly tripping on his blankets. He raced over to his desk and pulled Bitty's bracelet out, jumping back onto the bed. "Here. This is for you." 

Bitty blushed a little. "Oh, wow. I don't... I don't have anything for you."

"That's fine. This is something I make for all my friends."

Bitty looked up, a small smile on his face. "Thanks, Stiles. It's really pretty." He took the bracelet and carefully put it on, turning it to admire it. It was made of leather carefully braided using a five-strand braid, silver protective charms braided into it. 

"It's a luck charm," Derek explained. "For...what charms did you put on it? I can't quite see."

"Just covered all my bases, really." Stiles shrugged. "General good luck charms. Also a few that are specifically about helping you avoid injury." He gave Bitty a smile. "Maybe it'll help on the ice."

Bitty smiled and cuddled back into Stiles. "It's great. Thank you."

"He's good at them," Derek agreed. "Stiles, I'm going to have to go - I'll talk to you soon?"

Stiles nodded. "Talk to you soon, Der. I love you." He smiled. "And see if you can get some of the others to check in, okay? I worry."

"I will," Derek promised. Everyone loved talking to Stiles. It was just easy to lose touch with people when you weren't close by. "Love you too."

Stiles blew a kiss and waved, then hung up. 


	3. 1.7 - The Assist

Bitty stumbled through the door at just past one in the morning, flushed with alcohol and beaming. He flopped onto his bed, trying to muffle his giggles so he wouldn't wake Stiles.

"Hey dude," Stiles said, opening his eyes. He couldn't sleep, so he'd been attempting (with limited success) to meditate. "Have a good night?"

Bitty looked over and grinned, stumbling over so he could cuddle into Stiles. "I got an assist! I got an assist and it was perfect! Just whoosh and whap and the puck was in the net!"

"Awesome!" Stiles said, cuddling Bitty in close. "What's an assist?"

"It's when you help set up a goal for someone. Like...you pass to your liney, and they get it in." Bitty grinned, burrowing in closer. "It was my first NCAA point!"

"That's fantastic!" Stiles congratulated him, making a mental note to spend some quality time with wikipedia about ice hockey sometime soon. "And looks like you had fun after, too."

Bitty giggled and hid his face in Stiles' chest. "Yeah. Don't tell my mama I've been drinking." He looked up at Stiles and smiled. "Those visualisations Derek's been doing with me are really helping, I think. One of the opposing d-men looked like they were gonna check me and I didn't collapse at all."

"That's really great, Eric," Stiles said seriously. "What did your teammates think?" Including that dick of a captain.

"Shitty made me do a kegstand to celebrate." Bitty giggled. "I think they were pretty pleased with me."

"I can believe that," Stiles said. Apparently Bitty's accent got stronger when he was drunk. "Have you drunk anything other than booze tonight?"

Bitty shook his head, still grinning. "Not really. I had water after the game, but I've drunk a lot."

Stiles winced. "Alright, then. Let's get you some water so you don't hate yourself in the morning."

Bitty pouted and cuddled closer. "But I don't wanna get up."

"You're adorable," Stiles muttered under his breath. "Okay, how about you let me get up so I can get you some water."

Bitty whined at that. "But that means you'd have to get up."

"It does," Stiles said patiently. "Are you going to let me?"

Bitty pouted at him. "Do I have to?"

Stiles grinned, scruffing up Bitty's hair. "Yes, you do."

Bitty grumbled and reluctantly let Stiles go, still pouting.

Stiles got up, snagging a couple of water bottles to fill from their bathroom tap, and trying very hard not to laugh at Bitty. He was the cutest drunk, seriously.

Bitty pouted and whined until Stiles came back. He wrapped himself around Stiles tightly once he was within arm’s reach, practically purring. 

"Aww," Stiles cooed, cuddling Bitty tight. "You are so cuddly tonight. Is that cause you're drunk, cause you're happy, or cause you need more cuddles than you're getting?"

Bitty hummed. "All three, I think." He nuzzled in close, resting his head on Stiles' shoulder. "Shitty will cuddle sometimes, but most of the time with the team it's just rough-housing."

Admittedly, Stiles might be a bit over-sensitive to people being cuddle-deprived because all his friends were wolves, but still... "You can cuddle me whenever," he promised. "Or do you need someone else to offer first?" Derek could be like that sometimes.

Bitty shrugged. "Sometimes. Not with you, I don't think. Because I know you're okay with it, and I know Derek's okay with it."

"Good," Stiles said firmly. "Now come on, we've gotta sit up so you can drink some of that water I went and got."

"Okay..." Bitty wriggled until he was sitting up, leaning into Stiles' side so he could take a long drink.

"Trust me," Stiles said, "you will feel a lot less horrible tomorrow this way."

Bitty nodded, draining the water bottle. "I trust you." He gave Stiles a small smile.

Stiles beamed. "Thanks, Eric."

Bitty smiled back and leaned in close. "I'm still kinda amazed that Derek trusts you so much."

"We've been through a lot together," Stiles explained. "Not that you aren't totally awesome. But it really doesn't compare."

Bitty was silent for a long moment, his face somber. "D'you think he'd still be okay with it if he knew I like boys?"

"I'm pretty sure he's already figured that out," Stiles said, not trying to make light of Bitty coming out, just... "He's pretty observant."

Bitty flushed and hid his face in Stiles' chest. "I hope the team hasn't worked it out..."

"From what I've heard so far about your team, they're like, ninety percent oblivious and ten percent super-tolerant," Stiles pointed out. "You're probably fine."

Bitty sighed. "Yeah, you're right. It's still scary, though."

"Of course it is," Stiles agreed. "Dude, coming out was scary for me, and I knew none of the people around me were homophobic."

Bitty sighed again. "I mean... I've just had bad experiences with huge jocks, you know? Baking and figure skating and being a little on the smaller side...I was an obvious target."

"I get that," Stiles admitted, rubbing Bitty's shoulder.

Bitty sighed. "I want to be out here. I came here so I could be out. And my team kinda needs to be some of the first people I tell."

"Your college life won't be over at the end of this semester," Stiles pointed out. "You've got time."

Bitty gave Stiles a small smile. "Thanks, Stiles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Yes, this chapter is quite short - they vary.)
> 
> Thanks for your lovely comments, everyone! It's great to hear that you're enjoying it


	4. Interlude: Things That Go Bump In The Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Bitty encounters a vampire at a party, and she uses magic to make him pliant and suggestible. Stiles sees them go outside and rescues Bitty before he gets hurt.

Bitty could feel his heart pulsing in his throat, thrumming to the beat of the music. It was partly the alcohol in his system, partly the discomfort of having a girl pressed tight into him, flirting and apparently trying to get him to bed.

The woman's smile was bright, and her eyes were dark as she ran her fingers up Bitty's arm, leaning in close so he could hear her. "It's so loud in here!" she half-shouted over the music, lips brushing against his ear. "Want to go outside for a minute?" One of her earrings must have caught on Bitty's skin, because he felt a sharp scratch.

Stiles looked around the dance floor, eyes narrowed. Something hinky was going on, he was sure of that, but he didn't know what. What he wouldn't give for a werewolf nose right about now, honestly.

Bitty's head started to spin a little, his thoughts foggy and distant. Outside. Yeah... outside was probably a good idea, right? It would be nice and quiet and cool outside. He'd probably be able to think better. He nodded, letting the woman take him wherever she wanted. 

Stiles' eyes caught on blond hair leaving the dance floor with... That wasn't right. The way that woman had her hands tangled in Bitty's, the way Bitty was following... "Shit," Stiles muttered to himself, reaching for the ever-present vial of mountain ash at his neck and hurrying after them. It would just have to be enough.

The woman led Bitty to a shadowed corner of the yard of the house where the party was, smiling at him and backing him up against a tree. "Isn't that so much better?" she murmured. "There's no privacy in there."

Bitty nodded. Yeah, there hadn't been any privacy. They needed privacy. He couldn't quite think why, but they needed it. He leant back against the tree, his eyes glassy as he stared just over her shoulder. 

"You're just adorable, you know that?" the woman told Bitty, her hands settling on his hips, thumbs tucked under the hem of shirt.

Bitty hummed. If she said he was adorable, he must be, right? He started to list to the side a little, the strength leaching from his muscles. His breath started to come a little faster as his head started to spin more. This...this didn't feel right. He whined softly, shaking his head and pushing weakly at her. 

Stiles came racing outside, looking around for some sign of them, cursing, and focusing  _ hard _ on trying to feel out the magic in Bitty's bracelet. He glanced up at the night sky, grateful it wasn't the full moon, at least. "Oh thank fuck," he muttered when he  _ finally _ caught sight of them. Bitty was upright, he wasn't bleeding, and it was still only the one person with him. But Stiles did  _ not _ like the way Bitty was standing. "Hey!" he yelled. "Eric!"

Bitty frowned and looked over. Eric... That was him, right? Yeah. Yeah, that was him. He stumbled as he tried to get to Stiles, panic trying to break through the thick fog in his mind. "S...Stiles?" he croaked. He cleared his throat. "Stiles?"

"Friend of yours, honey?" the woman said sweetly. "Tell him to give us some private time, would you?"

Every second it took Stiles to get close enough to  _ do _ something was fucking torture. "Hi, yeah, do you mind telling me exactly who you are?" Stiles challenged her.

Bitty felt his head get clearer as Stiles approached, and panic finally managed to break through. He started to struggle a bit more, starting to hyperventilate as he couldn't get his body to cooperate. "Stiles... Stiles, I can't..." 

"It's going to be okay," Stiles promised Bitty seriously, glaring at the woman. "Now, do you really  _ want _ a confrontation?" He hated this,  _ hated _ it. He needed his  _ pack _ , needed to know what he was up against, needed somebody to deal with her while he helped Bitty, or to help Bitty while he dealt with her, but right now it was just him and there was only so much he could do.

The woman snarled at him silently, but apparently she didn't want to make more of this than she had to. Predators were like that; there was always more prey. "You're lucky I'm not hungry,  _ boy _ ," she shot at him, baring her teeth.

Bitty began to struggle more, his strength slowly coming back as her attention turned away from him. He somehow managed to get away, stumbling a little again as he raced over to hide behind Stiles. 

Stiles had a feeling he knew what she was now, and he didn't like it one bit. "Maybe next time you go hunting you should try out a little thing called consent." Vampires didn't  _ have _ to kill their prey, after all. "It's a wide and wonderful world out there, I'm sure you'll find someone with your particular...kink."

"You'd know, wouldn't you, wolf boy?" she challenged him, an ugly look on her face. "Don't interrupt my hunt again." She disappeared before Stiles could reply to that.

Bitty curled his hands into Stiles's shirt, starting to shake. "Stiles... Stiles, what just happened?" He gingerly touched the itchy scratch on his neck, startling a little as he felt wetness on his fingertips. "I... fuck. I'm bleeding."

Fuck a bunch of everything. Stiles closed his eyes, wishing Derek was here. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

Bitty nodded, pressing in close. "Y-yeah. I do."

Since contact seemed to be helping, Stiles carefully wrapped his arms around Bitty's shoulders. "You're going to be fine, I promise. It's over now. But can you wait for an explanation until we get back to our dorm?"

Bitty nodded, leaning into Stiles. "Yeah. I feel like I need to sit down anyway."

Thankfully their dorm wasn't too far. "We've got snacks, don't we?" Bitty would need something to help with the blood loss - Stiles had no way of knowing how much he'd been drained. 

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. Still got half a blueberry pie left, I think."

And Bitty kept a tub of that weird gatorade powder stuff around too, so he'd be able to get rehydrated. "Cool. Oh, hey, did you bring anything with you?"

Bitty frowned and patted his pockets down, pulling his phone out. "Just this."

"Alright, then," Stiles said, shifting so he had one arm around Bitty's waist, and leading him away from the party. "We're all good."

Bitty leant heavily on Stiles, his eyes slipping closed. He felt tired and slow, barely functional.

"I'd carry you," Stiles offered, "but I don't think I'm strong enough. I mean, we could try piggyback?"

Bitty shook his head. "No, I'm okay. I'll get there eventually."

"Okay," Stiles said warily, "but you tell me right off if you start feeling worse, alright?"

Bitty nodded, his eyes slipping closed as he trudged towards their room. He managed to make it, but he collapsed against the wall as soon as they were in their dorm. 

"Fuck." Stiles could carry him to bed from here, right? Right. He got Bitty settled, then dug out his kit from under his own bed. Calling it a first aid kit would be misleading, but for right now, that's what he was using it for.

Bitty started to hyperventilate again as he was lying down, his face covered with a sheen of sweat. He started to cry from the panic and exhaustion, tears mingling with sweat. 

"Oh, fuck. Eric, you're okay, I promise, it's okay now, you're safe, I'll keep you safe," Stiles promised hurriedly, reaching for Bitty's hand and squeezing it. "I know it was terrifying, I know, but it's over now. Can you breathe for me? Nice and slow, come on, Eric."

Bitty nodded and tried to breathe, though it just came in gasps at first. He eventually managed to get his breathing under control, though his pulse continued to race, making the cut on his neck bleed faster. It itched like the world's worst mosquito bite, but he didn't dare scratch it. 

"That's really great, Eric," Stiles said quietly. "You're doing good. I'm going to put a salve on that wound and then bandage it up for you, okay? You don't need any more blood loss right now."

Bitty nodded, his mind too scattered to question why it was still bleeding. "What... what happened, Stiles?"

The salve Stiles used wasn't something you could get over the counter - it was an all-purpose neutralising and healing mixture, and he infused it with an extra dab of magic as he spread it on Bitty's skin. "This is going to get kind of unbelievable," Stiles said. "Sorry. But...vampires."

Bitty was silent for a long moment. "Stiles, this isn't the time to be fucking with me."

"I'm not, I promise," Stiles replied, unsurprised by Bitty's doubt. "It's possible she was something else, but the behaviour was very vampire-y, so I'm fairly sure. This isn't the first time I've met one, although I don't see them too much. We're pretty good at keeping them away at home."

Bitty glanced up at him, distracted from his own panic with worry for his friend. "Stiles? Are you feeling okay?"

Stiles smiled wryly. "I'm fine," he promised. "I'm not crazy. I can call Derek, if you want?"

"But you and Derek could be crazy together. Stiles, vampires don't exist." Bitty shifted to sit up. "They just don't."

"Careful - you're probably dizzy from the bleeding," Stiles warned. "Look, I get that. I really do. But this woman bit you in the neck enough that you're still bleeding, and she messed with you somehow so you'd leave the party with her. Something wasn't right, yeah? You knew something wasn't right."

Bitty sighed. "Yeah. I know something wasn't right. She got in my head somehow - but that doesn't mean she was a vampire."

It was really weird, trying to explain this without a werewolf around to demonstrate. Stiles bit his lip. "If I can prove magic is real, will you believe me about the vampire?"

Bitty sighed. "Some sleight of hand isn't going to convince me vampires are real."

"Um." The problem was, Stiles had specialised in protective magic, which wasn't much use when there was nothing to protect from. He wracked his brains for something he could use, and hit on a light spell - one he'd used enough to be able to do without any props. "Okay. Hang on a second, I'm out of practice." He muttered the spell under his breath, focusing hard, and a ball of light appeared in his cupped hands.

Bitty's jaw dropped. "Uh. Okay. How are you doing that? Is... There's... I don't understand."

"I won't give you the technical details, but, uh...magic. And practice," Stiles admitted, giving the ball a gentle toss and focusing on making it hover a little above their heads. "I've been learning for a couple of years now, so there's a lot I still can't do, but that one's come in handy more than once."

Bitty shook his head, starting to hyperventilate again. "No. Nope. Magic isn't real."

"Breathe, Eric," Stiles urged, biting his lip worriedly. "Look, I'll put the light out, we can pretend it didn't happen, okay?"

Bitty looked up at Stiles. "Stiles... was I attacked by a vampire?"

"Yeah," Stiles said sadly. "Yeah, Eric. I think you were."

"And... magic is real. And you can use magic." It was either accept it or think he was going crazy, right? "Is... is that all?"

"Um...no." Stiles looked at Bitty worriedly. "Do you really want to know?"

Bitty shook his head. "Not right now. That's a conversation for when I'm not covered in fear-sweat and blood."

Stiles made a face. "You should probably shower, except from what I remember, a vampire bite can make you kind of dizzy and loopy for a while after. We don't want you to slip."

Bitty groaned. "A vampire bite. Because a vampire bit me." He shook his head. "This has got to be a dream."

"Well even if it is, dream-me would want to look after you," Stiles said. "So I'm gonna mix up some gatorade for you and get you some of that pie and - oh! Hey, I bet I can make my stain remover cloth work like a washcloth without us getting you wet!"

"Sure. Why not." Bitty shrugged, lying back down. "That makes as much sense as anything else that's happened."

"Cool." Stiles quickly fetched Bitty some pie and shook up some gatorade in a water bottle. "Here. I'm going to see if I can figure out the washcloth thing." The cloth was already spelled to attract dirt, so if Stiles modified the spell a little...

Bitty nodded and started to eat and drink, leaving Stiles to do as he wanted. He started to feel a little better as he finished, setting the plate and bottle aside.

"Okay, here, wipe your hands clean," Stiles said, excited, handing Bitty the cloth.

Bitty wiped his hand, his jaw dropping a little. Wow. His hands had been tight and tacky with dried sweat, but now they felt fine. He washed his face off as well, sighing softly at the clean feeling. "Whatever you did works."

"Yes!" Stiles grinned. "Oh man, I love it when I figure out a new trick!"

Bitty smiled at him. "So... Derek knows about all this. What does he think of it?"

Stiles bit his lip. "You know the 'more' that I'm not telling you yet?" he said, wincing.

Bitty nodded, a little hesitant. "...Derek's the more."

"He's the start of it, anyway," Stiles admitted. "So, I mean, I can tell you, but it's really up to you. Hopefully you won't have to deal with this again, so..."

Bitty bit his lip. Did he want to be prepared, or did he just want to ignore it? His gut said ignore it, but he knew that he'd probably just imagine worse things. "You should probably tell me. I won't be prepared otherwise."

"Alright," Stiles agreed warily. "Just...remember what you know of him, okay? He's still the same guy." Stiles took a deep breath. "Derek's a werewolf."

Bitty was silent for a long moment. "Derek's a werewolf. Like... a werewolf. Transforms on the full moon kind of werewolf."

"Well, whenever he likes really," Stiles admitted. "Only not into an actual wolf, more like a crappy wolfman movie thing. Weird face and claws is basically the gig."

"Right. Of course. Because transforming into an actual wolf would be absurd." Bitty shook his head and scrubbed his face with his hands. "And he's still Derek, right?"

"Still Derek," Stiles confirmed, nodding. "Fully conscious and cognizant and in control of his actions. It takes werewolves a little while to get control of their hind brains on the full moon, but Derek was born that way, so..."

Bitty giggled, though he didn't find any of this funny. "He was born a werewolf. Lycanthropy is heritable."

"It is," Stiles agreed. "His family have been werewolves for generations."

"Derek comes from a family of werewolves." Bitty rubbed his hands over his face. "Okay. And... you're not a werewolf."

"That's right," Stiles said, watching Bitty worriedly. "I only found out about this stuff a few years ago."

Bitty tried to take a few deep breaths but found that his breath just wasn't coming. He started to shake again, sinking his fingers into his hair to try and ground himself. 

Fuck. "Breathe, Eric," Stiles begged, taking Bitty's hand and squeezing. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise. You're okay, you're safe. It's all okay."

Bitty clung to Stiles, trying to calm himself down. "H-how did you react when you found out about all this?"

"It was kind of...all in bits and pieces?" Stiles admitted, scrubbing his free hand through his hair. "I mean, I guessed the werewolf thing, but I didn't completely believe it at first, but then I kind of had to believe it, and...there was a lot going on." 

"What happened? If you don't mind telling me... " Bitty glanced at Stiles, then away again. 

Stiles sighed. "I don't mind. But not tonight. When you feel safe again. The beginning of everything sucked."

Bitty nodded, all but climbing into Stiles's lap. "... I think I want to go to bed."

"Sounds good," Stiles agreed. "It's pretty late. Want me to cuddle with you tonight?"

Bitty nodded. "Yes please. I don't think I'll be able to sleep otherwise."

Stiles squeezed him tight. "I'm gonna get changed then - you want to clean up the rest of the way?"

Bitty nodded. "I'm going to have a shower, I think."

"Okay," Stiles agreed. "You can use the cloth if you want, too. Oh, and let me put something waterproof over that bandage, it's just gauze right now."

Bitty nodded, standing on slightly shaky legs to head into the bathroom. 

Stiles rummaged in his first aid kit and came up with a square of adhesive waterproof film, handing it to Bitty. "Just stick that over the top before you get it wet."

Bitty nodded, heading into the bathroom. He carefully stuck the film over the gauze before stripping down to step into the shower. 

Stiles got changed quickly, and as soon as he heard the shower running, he got out his phone to call Derek.

It took a long time for Derek to answer the phone, and when he did, his voice was slurred. "Stiles?"

"Bitty knows. He was attacked by a vampire. So I had to tell him, you know? He asked what had happened and so I had to tell him because I'm not going to lie to him. Also he knows about the wolfiness." Stiles took a deep breath when he'd finished speaking. 

"Are you okay?" Derek asked, more alert. "Is he?"

"I'm fine. Bitty, though... well, I had to avert a few panic attacks. He's showering now and we're probably going to sleep in the same bed tonight." Stiles sighed, sitting down heavily on the bed. "He was pretty out of it for a while. The vamp managed to get his neck, so he still hasn't stopped bleeding."

"Fucking anticoagulants," Derek grumbled. "Did you get him to eat? You just about fainted that one time."

"He's eaten and he's hydrated. Bless his habit of always having at least half a pie in the room." Stiles sighed and flopped back. "So he's physically fine. Just... shaken."

"You said you had to tell him about werewolves too?" Derek asked.

Stiles nodded. "He asked about you."

"I should text him," Derek murmured. "Unless you think I shouldn't? Would it bother him?"

"I'm kinda hoping he'll just go to sleep after his shower, to be honest. Maybe we could Skype tomorrow?"

"Whatever he can handle," Derek agreed. "You're sure you're okay?"

Stiles nodded. "I'm okay. Just needed to talk to you."

"Alright." Derek said, yawning. "Love you."

"Love you too,” Stiles replied. “And sorry for waking you up."

"I'm glad you did," Derek told him firmly. "Sleep well."

"You too, Derek." Stiles sighed and hung up, rubbing his eyes before he got up to change into his pyjamas. 

The shower was still running, and Stiles wondered if he needed to be concerned about that. He knocked on the bathroom door. "You okay, Eric?"

The shower shut off and Bitty opened the door a moment later, wrapped in a towel. He sniffed a little. "Hey."

"Hey," Stiles said quietly. "You good?"

Bitty nodded, pushing his wet hair out of his face. "Just... processing."

Stiles gave him a half-smile, half-grimace, and nodded. "Ready to come sleep?"

Bitty nodded. "Just let me get changed." He went and grabbed his pyjamas, ducking back into the bathroom to change. 

Stiles shrugged and got into bed, moving over so Bitty would have room. He was used to this kind of sleepover.

Bitty came out a few moments later and climbed into bed with Stiles, cuddling in close. 

"So, fair warning, I'm kind of an octopus," Stiles admitted. "Is that an issue?"

Bitty nodded and smiled. "It's nice, actually. Makes me feel nice and protected."

"Good," Stiles said firmly. "Because you are. Nothing's getting you while I'm here."

Bitty nodded and smiled. "I believe you. I trust you."

\-----

Stiles told me what happened. I'm happy to answer any questions you want - DH

I hope you're doing okay - DH

I'm okay. Thanks. ERB 

I do have questions, but I don't want to bother you. ERB 

It's not a bother - DH

You should have seen Stiles when he found out - DH

I imagine that was quite a sight. ERB 

If you're sure... ERB 

So, Stiles said you're a werewolf? But you can... control it? ERB 

Yes. Regardless of the time of month, I can be fully shifted, fully human, or anywhere in between, depending on what I want. The enhanced senses I can't alter, except that they're stronger when I'm shifted, and I've practiced blocking out things I don't want to hear or smell. As far as state of mind goes, it's possible for a werewolf to get caught up in the instincts, but that's not common after your first few months - DH

So... it's almost more like shapeshifting, rather than the werewolves you see in movies? ERB 

That's... kinda cool. Still a little scary, though. ERB 

I can understand that - DH

And yes, that's a good comparison - DH

Okay. That's good to know. ERB 

Is it true you can't touch silver? ERB 

That one's based on a mistranslation - DH

The Argents are a famous family of werewolf hunters - DH

Google says Argent is French for silver. ERB 

Do people really hunt you? That sounds horrible! ERB 

To be fair, they consider it policing - DH

But it's...well. I find it gives me a greater understanding of organisations like the KKK - DH

That's horrible. I hope they feel deeply ashamed of themselves. ERB 

I hope you know that I'd never do anything like that. You're my friend, werewolf or not. ERB 

Thank you - DH

So... do werewolves have packs? Is that even the word, or is that offensive? I'm so sorry. ERB 

It's fine. I'm not offended by honest questions - DH

Yes, we have packs. And before you ask, yes, Stiles is a member of mine. Even though he's human - DH

Okay. ERB 

Is that because he's magic? ERB 

It's because he's my boyfriend. And before that, because of how committed he was to the pack - DH

Oh. Okay. ERB 

That's really nice. I like how in love you two are. ERB 

Thank you - DH

[long delay] Are you really okay with me cuddling him and sleeping in the same bed as him? ERB

Seeing as how I'm... gay. ERB 

Werewolves are very tactile. When the whole pack is together, we'll have sleepovers all in the same bed - DH

I'm fine with you and Stiles sharing some affectionate touch - DH

How many people are in your pack? ERB 

Okay. I just really don't want to strain your relationship at all. ERB 

If it becomes a problem, Stiles and I will talk about it. But for now, it's fine - DH

Nine total. And Stiles' dad and Scott's mom are very close to being in the pack, too - DH

Okay. That's good to know. ERB

So... is a pack like a family, then? ERB

Yes - DH

In most packs, anyway. There are some that are more like gangs, but they're the minority - DH

That sounds really nice. Almost like a chosen family. ERB 

It is - DH

I'm really glad you and Stiles have that. ERB 

I'm out of questions for now. Is it okay if I ask you more later? ERB 

Absolutely. You're sure you're okay? Vampires can be pretty nasty - DH

Stiles took good care of me. I'm okay. ERB 

I think I'll be a little jumpy for a bit, but I'm okay. ERB 

Good - DH

Call me anytime if you need help - DH

I will. Thanks, Derek. ERB 

\-----

So... I found some stories. On the internet. ERB

None of it's true, right? ERB 

Probably not. It depends on the stories - DH

What are you worried about? - DH

I'm not... worried. As such. ERB

More alarmed. ERB 

People like writing about... intimate areas. When it comes to werewolves. ERB 

And they like writing alarming things about said intimate areas. ERB 

I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be asking this. ERB 

[delay] Ah - DH

The internet is full of people with...unusual kinks - DH

Reproductively, werewolves are the same as humans, except we're immune to STIs and oral contraceptives don't work - DH

Okay. That's good to know. ERB 

I was a little alarmed. ERB 

So... how can I tell if a guy I like is a werewolf? And if I wanted to date one, what would I need to do? ERB 

We generally try to avoid being recognised - DH

So dating us is the same as dating a human, until you're fairly serious - DH

Okay. That's good to know. ERB 

Is there anything I should be looking out for? ERB 

Actually, look out for people who pay particular attention to the bracelet Stiles gave you - DH

Chances are good it's because they're supernatural and they recognise it - DH

Oh. Okay. ERB 

So... I'm guessing it's not just good luck? ERB 

It's a protective charm - DH

I don't know exactly what he put on there, just that he was worried about you - DH

I'll ask him about it later. ERB 

I also wanted to let you know that I'll be happy to vacate the room if you come to visit. ERB 

Thank you - DH

I have to admit, I'd appreciate the private time - DH

I would too, if I had someone to spend it with. ERB 

I've got to go to practice. So now might be a good time for some virtual private time. ERB 

Thanks, Eric - DH

Good luck - DH

Thanks, Derek. ERB 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahaha...you didn't think we'd leave Bitty in the dark, right?


	5. 1.8 - Checking Clinic

"I hate your captain," Stiles groaned when Bitty got back from his first checking clinic. "It's a fucking  _ Sunday _ ."

Bitty flopped onto the bed. "I feel like I'm back doing figure," he groaned. "I thought I escaped sunrises on the ice."

"I vote no sunrises ever," Stiles mumbled. "What did you guys even  _ do? _ Dude wasn't exactly verbose."

"He slammed me into the boards repeatedly." Bitty rolled onto his back and groaned. "And he's huge, so it hurt."

Stiles jerked upright. "Fuck - do I need to go stab him? Are you okay?"

Bitty waved a hand. "No maiming. I'm okay. Just not used to being run into the boards by two-hundred-odd pounds of stupidly sexy Canadian."

Stiles flopped backwards. "Fucking death sport," he muttered. "Wait, sexy?"

Bitty pouted at Stiles. "Really sexy. Best ass I've ever seen."

"Huh." Stiles tried to remember what Jack had looked like, but failed. "I'll have to pay more attention next time I see him."

Bitty sighed. "It's not fair. No one that beautiful should be that grumpy."

"So...what's with the early morning private practice?" Stiles asked, stretching under the blankets.

"He slams me against the boards until I'm not scared of checking anymore. Or that's the idea." Bitty sighed. "It's not much fun."

Stiles made a face. "That's not exactly ideal exposure therapy."

"It's what I have. Hopefully between this and the visualisations with Derek, I'll be a functional member of the team." 

"Hey," Stiles objected. "You're already a functional team member. You got an assist, didn't you?"

"I could still be doing better." Bitty looked up at the ceiling, his hands folded over his stomach. "I want to do better."

"That's 'cause you're awesome," Stiles said, sighing. "He wasn't a dick about it, was he?"

Bitty grimaced, shifting a little. "Well... I'm sure he didn't mean to come off like he did."

"So...he was a dick about it," Stiles concluded.

"A little bit. But that's just how he is, I think. He's not targeting me specifically." Bitty looked over. "It's fine."

"He's a grumpy jerk rather than a prejudiced dickbag?" Stiles said. "I guess I can live with that if you can. Did he back off when he freaked you out?"

Bitty grimaced again and didn't answer, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. 

"Eric..." Stiles said warningly. 

"He just wants me to get better!" Bitty looked over. "He's just trying to help."

"There's helping, and there's being an asshole," Stiles replied firmly. "If he doesn't back off when you're panicking, he's an asshole."

"Well, he backed off until I was back on my feet." Bitty grimaced. 

"Did he give you time to calm down?" Stiles asked. "Seriously, I'll talk to him for you."

Bitty shook his head. "No, Stiles. It's fine. Really. I'm fine."

"Just..." Stiles sighed. "Will you tell me if it's  _ not _ fine? If there's some way I can help?"

"Stiles, I don't need you to defend me against my captain. He's not a vampire." Bitty gave him a small smile. "This is just something I have to cope with."

"Fine," Stiles grumbled. He still didn't  _ like _ it.

Bitty slid off his bed and went over to cuddle into Stiles to try and make him feel better. "He's trying to help."

"I don't like it when my friends get hurt," Stiles mumbled. "And I don't mean just physically."

"It's uncomfortable but necessary. Just like the visualisations I do with Derek." Bitty nuzzled in closer. "It's okay."

Stiles sighed, rolling over and hugging Bitty close. "Okay. But if he wakes me up that early again, I'm still stabbing him."

Bitty nodded. "Just don't stab him anywhere that takes him off the ice. We need him."

Stiles pouted playfully. "You're no fun."

Bitty giggled and shook his head. "You shouldn't deal with grudges though stabbing, Stiles."

"Would you prefer I used curses instead?" Stiles asked, trying to keep a straight face and failing.

Bitty's eyes widened. "Can you do that?"

Stiles snorted. "No, I'm shit at that kind of thing, and they're a terrible idea anyway."

Bitty relaxed a little. "Oh. Good. Okay."

"I specialise in protective stuff, pretty much," Stiles explained. "Barriers, wards, charms. Healing as well, a little, but the guys don't need it that much, so I'm not great at it. And then I've learnt how to do some practical things like the washcloth and the light and shit."

Bitty smiled and nodded. "That seems to fit your personality better. You're a bit of a mother hen."

"To be fair, part of that's because the entire rest of my pack is better suited to offensive stuff than me," Stiles pointed out, a little disgruntled. "Like, in a room full of people with claws and sharp pointy teeth, what am I meant to do?"

"Keep them safe." Bitty pressed in a little closer. "You're not worth less than them, just because you don't get furry."

Stiles smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, we've - we've had that discussion, you don't have to worry about that, I am a hundred percent solid on my decision to stay human."

Bitty smiled and wrapped himself around Stiles. "Good. I like you human. Though I'd probably like you wolfy too."

"It kind of does and doesn't change you," Stiles admitted, looking up at the ceiling. "Like, it more changes how you see yourself than your actual personality, but that can make you change how you act and shit."

"I like how you act. You're a really good friend." Bitty smiled up at him. "I'm glad you're my roommate."

"Same here," Stiles agreed. "And I'm  _ super _ glad you didn't freak out too much about the general crazy that is my life."

"Well, you support me and my silly little worries, so of course I'll support you." Bitty rested his head on Stiles's shoulder. "That's what good friends do."

"Your worries aren't silly," Stiles insisted. 

Bitty wrinkled his nose. "They're a little silly."

"No, it's..." Stiles sighed. "Look, you freak out about people getting physical with you, right?"

Bitty grimaced. "Exactly. It's silly."

"Uh-huh," Stiles said skeptically. "Tell me, Eric, has something bad ever happened when someone was physical with you?"

Bitty was quiet for a moment. "Well... yeah."

"So that fear's not actually irrational, is it?" Stiles pointed out. "That kind of physicality is subconsciously associated with danger for you,  _ for a reason _ ."

"But it was years ago. I should have gotten over it by now." Bitty couldn't quite look up, instead focusing on his hands. 

"Well, maybe that's true," Stiles allowed. "But, you know, for the sake of argument, let's say one particular fruit seller sold you some apples once that looked totally normal, but everyone who ate that pie got incredibly sick. Would you buy from that guy again? Even if it was years later?"

Bitty sighed. "You have a point. It just... it feels like I'm not trying hard enough to be okay."

"You're trying pretty damn hard," Stiles said.

Bitty looked up at him. "I don't feel like I'm trying hard enough."

"What would 'trying hard enough' look like, then?" Stiles asked.

"Not collapsing every time someone skates near me would be a start." Bitty sighed. "I'm being silly, aren't I?"

"Trying is about your process, not your results," Stiles pointed out. "So yeah, I think you're being too hard on yourself."

Bitty nodded and cuddled closer. "Tell me whenever I'm being silly, okay?"

"Alright," Stiles agreed, rubbing Bitty's back. "So long as you let me help when you're scared."

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. Okay." He looked up at Stiles. "You'll let me help you too, right?"

"Me?" Stiles asked. "I'm fine."

"Doesn't mean you won't ever be sad or nervous." Bitty shifted a little, holding Stiles closer. 

"I...yeah, okay," Stiles admitted, thinking that Derek would be cranky with him for not accepting help.

Bitty smiled and sat up. "I'm gonna head to breakfast."

"Ugh." Stiles sighed. "I guess I'd better get up too."

Bitty looked over at him. "Do you want to head to breakfast with me?"

"Yeah, okay," Stiles agreed. "Give me five minutes to get dressed and shit?"

Bitty nodded, shifting over to sit on his own bed. "Take your time."


	6. 1.9 - Family Weekend

Stiles had been bouncing off the walls for days. Derek was coming, and he was going to be here in mere minutes. The arrivals board had Derek's flight listed as ‘landed’, so he should be coming out any moment. He was still bouncing, in fact, just about vibrating with excitement as he waited. 

Derek had only brought a carry-on bag - he had no intention of letting baggage claims slow him and Stiles down in getting to be alone together - but it meant he had to wait for enough room to clear in the aisle so he could get his bag down from the overhead lockers, and he hated it. He hated a lot of things about flying, to be honest, but it was the only practical way to get here. When he  _ finally _ got far enough out of the plane himself that he could smell Stiles, he broke into a run.

Stiles grinned and opened his arms for Derek as soon as he spotted him. He was sure he was leaking happiness everywhere, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Derek was right there! They'd be touching in a few seconds! Kissing! And then they'd get to go back to the dorm and have so much sex that even Derek was exhausted by it. And he was so, so close. 

Derek flew into Stiles' arms, wrapping him up in a crushing hug, burying his face in Stiles' neck. "Hi," he said hoarsely. "You're here."

Stiles stumbled a little, laughing as he clung to Derek. "I'm here. You're here. We're both here." He wanted to kiss Derek, but that would have meant pulling away from him even a little, and that wasn't happening. "God, I've missed you."

"Me too," Derek said fervently, taking deep breaths of Stiles' scent. "Fuck. I hadn't even realised how much."

Stiles laughed. "Don't realise what you've missed until you've got it again, huh?" He ran his hands up and down Derek's back. "C'mon. Let's head back to campus."

"That would mean letting go," Derek grumbled, but he was smiling. "God. I love you, Stiles."

Stiles kissed Derek's shoulder. "I love you too. And, if you let go a little, we can kiss and you can grope my ass a little."

"I don't have to let go to grope your ass," Derek pointed out, sliding his hands down Stiles' back.

Stiles laughed and leant into Derek's touch. "Yeah, yeah. Or you could pull back a little and, y'know. Kiss me."

Derek took one more deep breath of Stiles' scent and moved, kissing him deeply.

Stiles made a contented noise and kissed back, sinking his fingers into Derek's hair. God, he'd missed this. 

Derek hummed happily, relearning every bit of Stiles' embrace.

Stiles reluctantly pulled back after a while. "So... Eric's out of the dorm room for the afternoon."

Derek grinned. "I take it you told him it would be me coming and not your father." The Sheriff was caught up at home, enough that he couldn't afford to take a four-day vacation.

Stiles shrugged. "I might have mentioned it... "

"Still, we'd better put a sock on the door," Derek said, with a wicked glint in his eye. "We wouldn't want to scar him any more than we have already."

"Derek, he's out until eight. We have more than enough time for at least four orgasms a piece." Stiles kissed him again. "Five if we hurry."

Derek started laughing and couldn't stop, so incredibly happy and grateful to be with Stiles again. "God, I love you," he managed to gasp.

Stiles grinned, pressing a brief kiss to Derek's forehead. "I love you too, big guy. Now  _ come on _ ."

"Alright," Derek agreed, still beaming, as he took Stiles' hand and followed him out to the car.

Stiles leaned into him, squeezing his hand periodically. 

\-----

Stiles' estimate was right on the money: eight o'clock found the two of them sated in more than one way, well-dirtied sheets in the hamper and the smell of Thai food still filling the room as they relaxed on Stiles' bed.

Bitty hesitantly knocked on the door at about ten past eight. "Everyone decent?"

Stiles grinned and looked over at Derek. "We're wearing underwear, if that's what you mean."

Derek rolled his eyes. "You can come in, Eric. So long as your mother isn't with you."

"She's gone back to her hotel for the night." Bitty hesitantly opened the door, peeking in. He blushed a little at the evidence of what had happened, dropping his gear bag by the door and heading over to his own bed. "So... you must be Derek."

"In the flesh," Derek agreed. "It's good to meet you face-to-face." And scent-to-nose, actually. 

Bitty nodded and smiled. "It's good to meet you too. Put a... a body to the face." He blushed and hid his face in his hands. "Sorry. That's not what I meant."

"It's fine," Derek said, realising he could smell a hint of arousal ( _ not _ Stiles') in the air. "I'm used to awkward. Do you want me to put a shirt on?" He'd really prefer to be touching Stiles' skin directly, but he didn't mind making concessions to Bitty's comfort.

"Oh, no, I don't want to put you out." Bitty very carefully avoided looking at Derek, internally berating himself. He needed to get a grip. This was Stiles's boyfriend! He shouldn't be looking!

Looking between them, Stiles finally realised what was going on and burst out laughing. "It's fine, Eric."

Bitty went even redder. "I'm fine," he squeaked. 

"Hell yeah you are," Stiles said. "Seriously dude, it's cool. You can stop freaking out."

"I'm just... " Bitty swallowed, standing and turning away. "I'm just gonna, uh. School work?"

"Eric, no," Derek said sadly, reaching out to find a shirt. "This is your room; I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. Besides, we're friends, aren't we? I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"Yes! We're friends! I just wasn't expecting you to be so... " Bitty waved a hand, indicating Derek in general. 

"So insanely hot?" Stiles finished for him, waggling his eyebrows at Derek ridiculously. 

Oh, Lord. All his blood was in his face. "Yeah," he squeaked. 

Derek managed to get a shirt on - one of Stiles' so it didn't fit perfectly, but Stiles had bulked up over the last couple of years, so it wasn't  _ terrible _ . "I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable, Eric," Derek said sincerely. "It really doesn't bother me or Stiles what you think of my appearance, I promise." Well, up to a point. But Eric was a friend, so Derek could live with a lot more...appreciation than this.

Bitty glanced over. "No, it's... I'm fine. Honestly. I just don't want to cross any boundaries."

Stiles glanced at Derek. "We appreciate that," he said quietly. "But you weren't doing any harm, promise."

Bitty looked over. "You sure? Because I can normally control myself better, honest."

"I'd prefer you keep your eyes on my face most of the time," Derek admitted. "But it really is fine."

Bitty nodded. "Locker room rules. I can do that."

"I guess that's one way of describing it," Derek replied, thinking of how scared Bitty was by the things that could happen in locker rooms. 

"So!" Stiles said. "Moving on. How was your day, Eric? I'm pretty sure you can guess how ours went."

Bitty blushed again and laughed. "Uh, yeah. I can. Well, Mama arrived this morning, and I showed her around a little before practice. She wanted photos of me absolutely everywhere. And then it was practice. We're playing Yale tomorrow night." He grimaced. "And Mama's coming to watch, and so's Jack's dad - he's this big name hockey star, but he's retired now - and I'm just so nervous! Some of the boys on that team are big, and it's only my third game, and - I'm rambling. Sorry."

"It's fine," Stiles told him, stretching. "You've got nothing on me."

"Will there still be tickets?" Derek asked. "I'd like to see you skate, even if it will give Stiles a heart attack."

Bitty smiled, pleased. "There should still be tickets, yeah. It's still really early in the season, so not a lot of people really care yet, even on family weekend."

"Awesome!" Stiles said. "We're definitely going then. This'll be great."

Derek snorted. "Sure. I remember how you reacted when you found out Eric played hockey. This won't be stressful for you at all."

Bitty looked over at Stiles, sitting back down on his bed. "Huh? How did you react?"

"Hmm," Derek said. "Let me see if I can remember how he put it..."

"Don't you dare," Stiles threatened. "Derek..."

"Mainly he was worried," Derek revealed. "Since he'd sworn to 'keep you safe from all harm' earlier that day, and then he found out you played, what was it? Knife shoe fight sport."

Bitty giggled. "That's kinda the way my mom reacted when I told her I wanted to play. Even though I was actually getting more bruised up figure skating."

"You get bruises figure skating?" Stiles asked. "How?"

"Falling, mainly. You fall a lot while you're learning new things." Bitty shrugged. "It's all part of learning."

Stiles wrinkled his nose, displeased, but Derek nodded. "That's how it goes with physical skills," he agreed. "I don't think you or Stiles ever told me - how long did you figure skate for before you started hockey?"

"Oh, a good ten years or so. I stopped when I transferred schools." Bitty shrugged. "I was alright."

"Ten years?" Stiles blinked. "Jesus, dude, sounds like you'd be more than 'alright'."

Bitty shrugged and blushed. "I won a few regional championships. No big deal."

"Dude, that's awesome!" Stiles exclaimed. 

Bitty blushed even brighter. "It was okay."

"So you had to quit because you moved?" Derek asked.

"Well, sort of. If I wanted to progress much more, I probably would have had to move, and I really didn't want to." Bitty shrugged. "Hockey let me stay on the ice."

The story made a lot more sense of why Bitty, with his fear of physicality, would be playing a contact sport. "And you must be good at it," Derek said, "if you've got a hockey scholarship here."

Bitty blushed. "I'm okay. I got an assist a few games ago."

"That's great," Derek said, even though he had no idea what that was.

Bitty nodded, ducking his head. "I was pretty pleased."

"You were super drunk and cuddly that night," Stiles commented.

Bitty laughed. "Uh, yeah. The team made me do a keg stand, so."

"So you were significantly drunk," Derek concluded. "You had a good time, though?"

Bitty nodded and smiled. "Yeah. They're my friends."

"That's good to hear," Derek replied.

"Would it be weird for us to come over after the game?" Stiles wondered. "I mean, assuming there's a thing like last time."

Bitty smiled. "That sounds good. And there's always a thing. If we win, it's a celebration, if we lose, it's commiseration."

"Cool. Then we can come meet people?" Stiles checked. "It'll be at the Haus, right?"

Bitty nodded. "I'd like that. Yeah, it's at the Haus. Always is."

"Awesome."


	7. 1.12 - Samwell vs Yale

The Haus was  _ loud. _ It left Derek clinging to Stiles' hand, keeping his senses tightly focused to avoid getting overwhelmed. "Any idea where Eric is?" he asked, yelling a little to get over the music.

Stiles frowned and shook his head. "He should be in the kitchen... "

Derek nodded. "Lead the way."

Stiles led Derek through to the kitchen, frowning as he saw it devoid of Bitty. "He's... not here."

"Could he be dancing?" Derek asked, relaxing a little as they got further away from most of the noise. "He seems like he'd like dancing. Or maybe the team's got him doing something to celebrate - he did score a goal, after all."

"Yeah, maybe." Stiles turned to Derek and kissed his cheek. "Stay here and I'll go look."

"Alright," Derek said. "But come back soon."

Stiles smiled and kissed Derek softly. "I'll be back soon." He headed out into the crowd. He couldn't see Eric, though he did eventually find someone in a Samwell hockey shirt. He headed over, waving to get the guy's attention. "Have you seen Eric?"

"Who?" the guy replied.

Stiles blinked. "... He plays on your team? Like, yay high, blonde, literal ray of sunshine?" He looked up at the guy - why were they all stupidly tall? - and waved his hand at roughly Bitty's height. 

The guy narrowed his eyes. "Makes a lot of pies?" he guessed.

"That's the one. I'm his roommate. So... where is he?" Stiles glanced around, but still couldn't see Bitty's blonde head. 

"I haven't seen him in a while," the guy yelled, shrugging. "Yo, Johnson!"

"What's up?" Some other guy came over - and Stiles got a  _ weird _ feeling from him.

"Do you know where Bitty is?" the first guy asked.

'Johnson' gave Stiles a long look. Eventually, he said, "Try upstairs," and left.

Stiles stared after 'Johnson', his eyes wide as his skin crawled. That guy was 100% not human. He nodded and turned to head up the stairs. He eventually found Bitty in one of the bathrooms, sitting on the closed toilet lid with his head in his hands. 

"Eric!" Stiles exclaimed worriedly, hurrying over. "Are you okay?"

Bitty looked up and sniffed. "Nothing. I'm just being silly."

"Hey, no," Stiles said, kneeling down in front of him. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Bitty sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Just... you know how I scored? Jack was really mean about it."

Okay, that. Was. It. Stiles was going to have  _ words _ with Jack. "That's shit," Stiles said definitively. "It was really awesome, everyone thought so, did you hear the crowd?"

Bitty laughed, the sound still a little wet. "Yeah. I did."

"And you realise if we went downstairs right now and yelled your name, there'd be cheering, right?" Stiles pointed out.

"They tried to get me to do another keg stand, but I wasn't in the mood." Bitty gave another little laugh. "It's just... all I can hear it Jack telling me it was just a lucky shot."

"Psshhh." Stiles shook his head. "I'm gonna hug you now, if that's okay?"

Bitty nodded and opened his arms. "Okay."

Stiles leaned up and tugged him into a tight hug. "Jack's an idiot," he said firmly. "Nothing's ever pure luck or pure skill. You put yourself in the right place at the right time to make an awesome fucking goal, and without you it wouldn't have happened. That's what matters."

Bitty hugged Stiles just as tightly. "Thanks. So, you left Derek on his own down there?"

"He's in the kitchen," Stiles explained. "Should I bring him up, or are you coming down?"

"I'll come down. If I don't guard the kitchen, someone's going to throw up in my sink." Bitty stood and dusted himself off. 

Stiles winced. "Yeeeah, I can see that happening."

Bitty led the way back down the stairs, easily moving between people as he would his way through to the kitchen. 

Derek looked relieved when they came into the room, going straight to Stiles' side. "You okay, Eric?" he asked.

Bitty nodded and smiled. "Yeah. I am. Stiles is good at cheering you up."

"He is," Derek agreed. "But why did you need cheering up? You were great today."

"Just... " Bitty sighed. "Jack made a comment after the game that upset me."

Derek frowned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay. I just got stuck on it." Bitty smiled up at Derek. "I'm okay."

Derek wasn't sure how true that was, but pushing it wouldn't help. "Okay," he said.

"So,” Bitty said. “You guys want to meet the team?"

"Sounds good," Derek replied.

"But not Johnson," Stiles added. "I already met him."

Bitty smiled. "Yeah. He's our goalie." He said that as if it explained everything - which it did, mostly. 

"He seems...nice enough," Stiles allowed, which was true. Whatever he was.

"He is. And he's a great goalie." Bitty looked around, smiling as he spotted Shitty in the corner. "You want to meet Shitty?"

"Sure," Stiles replied. "Is he the nudist one?"

Bitty nodded, smiling and leading them over. "Hey, Shitty. This is my roommate, Stiles, and his boyfriend Derek."

Shitty grinned and looked up at them. "Good to meet you, brahs. Bitty's told us all about you. Good to know you're looking out for him."

"Bitty?" Stiles asked.

Shitty stared at Stiles, his brow furrowing. Bitty laughed and turned to explain. "It's my hockey nickname. Both because I'm small, and from my surname."

"You're not  _ that _ small," Derek countered. 

"Though that  _ does _ explain why when I asked where you were, that hockey dude didn't know who I meant," Stiles added.

"Derek, honey, I'm not even five foot seven in a game where the average height is six foot one."

Shitty laughed. "Brah, you should see him next to Holster. Shit's wild."

"Which one's Holster?" Stiles asked.

"The giant one." Shitty looked around and quickly spotted him. "That one."

"Then I'm guessing that's Ransom?" Stiles said. "Seeing as Eric never seems to mention one without the other."

Bitty stood on his toes to look over. "Yeah, that's Ransom."

"That's not his actual name, is it?" Derek asked skeptically.

Bitty shook his head. "No, it's not. We all just go by hockey nicknames. Well, except for Jack. He doesn't have one."

"I thought you said he was the famous one," Stiles replied, confused. "How come he doesn't have a nickname?"

Shitty sighed. "It's a tragedy. He's never had a nickname stick."

Derek snorted. "Not for lack of trying on your part, I'm guessing," he commented.

Shitty laughed. "Of course. Jack's my bro."

"Which one's he?" Stiles asked, scanning the crowd. He had some words to say to Jack.

Derek rested one hand on Stiles' arm, guessing what was going on. "Not here," he murmured.

Shitty waved a hand. "Jack's not here. He's not a big party guy - he's probably up in his den with a documentary to be honest."

"I see," Stiles replied, glancing sideways at Derek. He didn't give a shit about appropriate times and places, to be frank.

Bitty looked over, his eyes widening a little. "Hey, do you two want a drink?"

Derek shrugged, deferring to Stiles. For obvious reasons, he wasn't much of a drinker. 

"I guess," Stiles said.

Bitty looked over at Shitty and said bye before leading Stiles and Derek through to the kitchen. He looked over at Stiles and frowned at him. "I don't need you to protect me from Jack, Stiles."

Stiles frowned. "You may not need it, but...he hurt you."

Bitty sighed. "Jack's... Jack. He's going to be this way, apparently."

"He has a choice about how he treats you," Stiles said firmly. "And he's choosing  _ wrong _ ."

"Stiles... I can cope,” Bitty insisted. “Besides, he's helping me."

"He is, and that's great," Stiles replied. "But that doesn't mean he gets to make you cry."

"We want more for you than coping," Derek said gently.

Bitty smiled. "It's okay. I can take care of myself."

"We're not saying you can't, we just - " Stiles sighed. "Fine. I'll leave it alone for now."

Bitty smiled up at Stiles. "You're more than welcome to protect me against... you know, spooks, but I can handle myself when it comes to the team." He leant into Stiles, hugging him gently. 

Stiles snorted. "Spooks. That's a new one. I kind of like it."

"I thought it worked,” Bitty said with a laugh.

Derek raised his eyebrows. "It makes it sound like I work for the FBI."

Bitty giggled. "You look like you could. You've got a dark, brooding secret agent vibe."

"Brooding, yeah," Stiles agreed with a crooked grin. "I've never seen him wear a suit, though."

"Well, maybe you haven't asked nicely enough,” Bitty teased.

"Oh yeah?" Stiles smirked, leaning in to brush his lips against Derek's ear. "Wear a suit for me, babe?" he murmured. "I'll do something...nice for you in return."

Bitty laughed again as Derek went bright red and spluttered. "I think that worked."

Stiles hummed appreciatively. "You're really cute when you blush, you know."

Bitty smiled as Derek blushed even brighter, burying his face in Stiles's neck. 

"So, cool thing," Stiles said, grinning at Bitty even as he tucked Derek close. "For all Derek looks super macho and everything, he is actually an adorable fluffball."

Bitty smiled and cooed. "I think it's nice. It's nice when guys can be soft."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Derek grumbled.

Bitty laughed. "I was talking in general, not necessarily about you."

" _ I _ was talking about you," Stiles admitted. "But you know I love you."

Bitty cooed. "You two are so cute. I wish I had a guy who loved me that much."

"Some day," Stiles said. "It'll happen."

Bitty smiled up at him. "I hope so."

\-----

It wasn't that Stiles  _ deliberately _ sought Jack out when Bitty had asked him to leave Jack alone. It's more like, Stiles was really fucking pissed at the guy, so he was keeping an eye out, and when he happened to see Jack out by the pond, he decided to do something about it. "Hi, are you Jack?" he asked. "The hockey captain?"

Jack froze with his camera half raised to his face. Normally people used his surname when they asked who he was, not just his first name. He had no idea what was happening. "...Yes, I am."

"I'm Eric's - Bitty's - roommate," Stiles went on. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, but it's not, seeing as you're a fucking dick."

Jack blinked and frowned, shifting to face Stiles a little more. "Excuse me?"

"I get that you probably grew up in the world of professional sport, and probably no one there ever mentioned the words 'mental health' to you," Stiles said, warming up to his topic, "but you know what? When one of your teammates is so fucking anxious about the game you play that he is fricking  _ collapsing _ with panic, that's not something he can muscle through by sheer willpower. And the fact that he keeps getting back on the ice with you guys? That is amazing. When you consider the way you've treated him, it's practically unbelievable."

Jack glanced around, hoping that someone was coming to intervene. Shitty normally had a good sense of when he needed help, but it looked like no one was coming. "I'm trying to help him. If Bittle doesn't get over his checking fear, he won't have a place on the team. Besides, exposure therapy is very effective for phobias."

"You know what? I might have even believed that," Stiles admitted. "Those early-morning practices? He's been grateful for them. But the fact that he walked off the ice the other day and made him feel like shit? That crap doesn't fly. I don't know what your grudge is against him, but he deserved to be fucking  _ congratulated _ , not insulted because you were feeling pissy. That was his first NCAA goal, and he didn't get to celebrate it."

Jack's jaw clenched. "He had his eyes closed. He was lucky the shot went in."

"So fucking what?" Stiles exclaimed. "Is that what people said to  _ you _ when you did something great for the first time? 'It doesn't count because it's beginners' luck'? He was in the right place at the right time to  _ be _ lucky, and either way, it could have fucking  _ waited _ until next fucking  _ practice." _

Jack bristled. "No, they just told me I had to be better." He gripped his camera tightly, his knuckles going white. "Bye." He turned and started to not-quite run back to the Haus. 

Okay, that - that wasn't the reaction Stiles had expected. Jack had...oh fuck. "Shit," Stiles muttered to himself. "Derek. He's like  _ Derek _ ."

\-----

Derek. I think I fucked up real bad. SS 

Is anyone dead or dying? - DH

Well, no. SS

I talked to Jack Zimmermann. SS

Well......... I yelled at him. SS 

If no-one's dead or dying, you can fix it - DH

Eric's captain? - DH

Yeah. SS 

I was just so mad at how he's treating Eric. SS 

And I said a bunch of awful stuff to him. SS 

You know he's not playing professionally because he tried to commit suicide and went to rehab? SS

I sure as fuck didn't. SS 

Christ - DH

Yep. SS 

Fuck. SS 

Okay. Damage control. First guess, how do you think he reacted? - DH

Pretty badly. SS 

Angry, anxious, depressed, or guilty? - DH

Uh... all four. SS 

Fuck - DH

He's basically you if you were the heir to a hockey dynasty. SS 

So...you think he's being a dick because he's insecure? - DH

Well, when I yelled at him about what he said to Eric after the game and asked him if anyone had ever said anything like that to him, he basically said that everyone just told him to be better. SS 

Great - DH

[delay] Look, just keep in mind that you /do/ have the option of walking away from this. You aren't responsible for Jack's mental health - DH

Excuse you, have we met? SS 

We have, which is why I figured you need the reminder - DH

Well, walking away is easier said than done. SS 

I know - DH

And honestly, the fact that you feel a sense of responsibility to him is part of why I like you - DH

Good. Because it's part of myself I don't want to change. SS 

Maybe start by passing a message through Eric? - DH

Yeah, that's a good idea. Thanks, Der. SS 

You're welcome - DH

And just...don't blame yourself too harshly. You didn't know - DH

I didn't read up on him. SS 

Most people don't bother to research their friends' friends - DH

When have I ever been most people? SS 

Never, but still. There's no need to hold yourself to impossible standards - DH

We're the impossible standards pack, Der. SS 

Probably - DH

Just be kind to yourself, please - DH

I'll do my best. SS 

I love you. SS 

I love you too - DH

\-----

I, uh, kinda fucked up - SS

What happened? Are you alright?? ERB 

I'm fine - SS

But it's possible I owe Jack an apology - SS

Or several - SS

Oh, honey. What did you do? ERB 

I made some assumptions - SS

And then I yelled at him for being mean to you - SS

And then I looked him up and realised what I'd said was probably a lot harsher than I'd meant it to be - SS

Well, you know what they say about assumptions. ERB 

Yeah, I know - SS

To be fair, the sports community in general isn't too educated about mental health - SS

Jack's very aware of that. ERB 

Yeah, I get that now - SS

Would you consider telling him I'm sorry for what I said? - SS

Alright. I will. ERB 

Really? - SS

Yeah. I don't want you feeling bad. ERB 

Thanks, Eric. I really appreciate it - SS

Just...I was a jerk, and I was wrong, and I shouldn't have said that - SS

We've all said stuff we shouldn't. It's okay. ERB 

I guess - SS

Thanks - SS

\-----

Bitty was a little nervous as he approached Faber. He didn't know how well this was going to go over with Jack, whether he'd accept that Stiles had just been overly protective, or if he'd hate them both more. He told himself it didn't matter - Stiles was his friend, and he'd promised. He brought it up in the locker room, just before they were going to hit the ice. "Uh, Jack? Can I talk to you a moment?"

Jack glanced at him, frowning a little. "What is it?"

"So... my roommate told me what happened between you two. How he... yelled at you. He just wants me to pass along his apologies for it. He had no idea about what you've been through." Bitty looked over. "He feels really bad, and he wants to apologize."

"He was right," Jack said stiltedly. "I should have been...kinder."

Bitty sighed. "No, Jack. You've done just fine."

"I should have congratulated you," Jack said quietly. "I was...envious, I suppose. You did well."

Bitty frowned. "Jack, why on earth would you be jealous of me?"

Jack paused. Did he really want to go into this? "There's... I feel a lot of pressure to succeed," he explained. "You were the standout player in that game."

"Oh, honey,” Bitty said sympathetically. “You know you're an incredible player. You're consistently incredible. I'm... " He sighed. "You're right. It was lucky."

"There's always luck," Jack admitted. "You can be the best player in the world and miss the shot. But in a game at this level, you never make a shot with luck alone. You've gotta have skill to back it up."

Bitty blushed and ducked his head. "Thanks, Jack. That means a lot."

"You're welcome," Jack said, feeling awkward. "Let's get on the ice, eh?"

Bitty nodded and cleared his throat. "Okay. Let's go."


	8. 1.13 - The Closet Story

Can I talk to you about something please? ERB 

Sure, what's up? - SS

You know my friend Shitty? ERB

He's pretty unforgettable - SS

I think he might be gay and I want to tell him that I am. ERB

That I'm gay. ERB 

But. I don't know. ERB 

Should I? ERB 

I can't really tell you whether you /should/ - SS

But from what I know, even if he's straight, he's a genuinely accepting guy, so I don't think it would go badly - SS

And if you want to tell someone, that's something you can do, you know? - SS

I just... ERB 

What if it makes things weird with the team? ERB 

Coming out to one guy isn't the same as coming out to everyone, you know - SS

No, but if things get weird with Shitty, it could affect the team. ERB 

I mean, that's true, but isn't Shitty, like, fundamentally weird anyway? - SS

I'm pretty sure it'll work out - SS

Are you sure? ERB 

I'm MOSTLY sure it'll be completely fine - SS

And I'm ABSOLUTELY sure that if it isn't, it still won't escalate to actual harassment - SS

Okay. ERB 

Thanks, Stiles. ERB 

Anytime, dude - SS

I'm gonna go write my notecards. ERB 

Notecards? - SS

For when I talk to Shitty. ERB 

You're...planning a speech? - SS

I guess so, yeah. ERB 

[delay] If that's what helps you feel safe - SS

Call me if you need me - SS

Thanks, Stiles. ERB 

Anytime - SS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the curious: the reason Bitty thinks Shitty might be gay is based on someone's observation on tumblr that a) Bitty expected Lardo to be a dude when he met her, and b) when discussing Winter Screw, Ransom and Holster mention Shitty is 'holding out for Lardo'


	9. Interlude - Christmas

Merry Christmas from me and Derek - SS

Merry Christmas!! ERB

Have you had a nice day so far? ERB

Yeah - christmas pancakes with my dad this morning, and now I'm over at Derek's place helping him get everything ready for the pack coming over tonight - SS

How about you? - SS

Well. We went to church this morning, which was pretty tense. ERB 

But I helped Mama with the cooking, which is always good fun. ERB 

Tense? - SS

What did you make? - SS

The Baptist Church isn't the most accepting. ERB 

Enough Christmas dinner to feed half of the hockey team. ERB 

:( - SS

I raise you: enough Christmas dinner to feed a pack of werewolves - SS

It's okay. I have a better church at Samwell. ERB 

Oh, wow. Yes. That's rather a lot. ERB 

My strategy is basically to do normal serving sizes, but have a whole lot of extra dishes - SS

Is that what you do? - SS

We have huge portions. More than thanksgiving. ERB 

Well, the core pack is six wolves and four non-wolves, so the rule is, Derek and I make dinner, and everyone brings some dessert with them - SS

That sounds fair. ERB 

Oh, I should have sent you home with pie!! ERB 

Derek and I would have eaten it all before anyone else had a chance - SS

Maybe I could give you my recipe, then. ERB 

Recipe singular? - SS

Pretty sure you've got dozens - SS

I can't give away all my secrets, can I? ERB 

Not even for your best friend and roomie? - SS

[image: Stiles making a pleading face] - SS

I'm immune to puppy dog eyes, Stiles. ERB 

\-----

I'm assuming it's you he's texting, and I apologize for his ridiculousness - DH

Merry Christmas - DH

It's okay :) ERB 

Merry Christmas, Derek. ERB 

I hope you're having a good day - DH

Church was tense, but lunch was fun. ERB 

I'm a little nervous for the extended family, though. ERB 

I'm sorry about that - DH

If it helps, keep in mind that you /are/ doing things they should respect - you're a successful college athlete - DH

But I'm not a football player. ERB 

True, but college hockey is still a full-contact sport - DH

But it's not football. ERB 

They're really that bad? - DH

Some of them are. ERB

The rest are just disappointed that I'm not what they wanted me to be in other ways. ERB 

I'm sorry - DH

I'll be alright. ERB 

There's not long until I'm back at school. ERB 

You should come visit us next break - DH

That sounds lovely. Thank you, Derek. ERB 

I'll be sure to bake you lots of pie. ERB 

You don't need to pay for our company with food, you know - DH

I like baking for my friends. ERB 

Okay - DH

Just...with us, at least, don't feel like there's times you're /obligated/ to make us something? Not if you're hosting us, or we're hosting you, or there's some gift-giving occasion. Just make things when you want - DH

You're too kind, Derek. ERB 

Thank you. ERB 

You're very welcome, Eric - DH

You've been such a good friend to Stiles this semester, and I appreciate it - DH

Stiles has been a pretty good friend to me, too. ERB 

We're sorry you had to find out about...people like me, but I'm glad Stiles has someone to talk to - DH

Honestly, I think I'd rather know than not know. At least if I know, I can prepare, you know? ERB 

Besides, from what Stiles has told me, your pack are more puppies than vicious creatures of the night. ERB 

We're just people, good or bad, same as everyone else - DH

I appreciate your understanding. Not everyone takes it so well - DH

Well, you saw how I freaked out at first. ERB

I should be thanking you for your patience. ERB 

You didn't attack us, you didn't try and tell other people, you didn't brush it all off as Stiles being crazy and a trick of the light - DH

Well, I grew up being told that miracles genuinely happen. It's not a leap from there to magic. ERB 

I guess so - DH

My family wasn't religious in that way - DH

I think it's mainly a southern thing. ERB 

I suppose - DH

But it doesn't matter, because I have a church that actually accepts me at Samwell. ERB 

I'll just have to lie to my grandparents about the denomination. ERB 

Do you think you'll come out to your family, at some point? - DH

Maybe my parents. ERB 

And only when I've got an apartment and job on the other side of the country. ERB 

Sorry - DH

It's okay. ERB 

My friends know, and that's enough for now. ERB 

Alright - DH

I'm glad you don't have to hide with us - DH

So am I. ERB 

Have a good Christmas, Eric - DH

And call us if you need us - DH

I will. ERB 

Thank you, Derek. ERB 

Anytime - DH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick chapter this time - the next one's coming soon!


	10. Interlude: Confrontation

Bitty grinned as he walked into the diner. "Wow, you're right. This place looks great." He looked back at Stiles and smiled. "I've been craving burgers."

Stiles shook his head. "Curly fries," he said definitively. "Definitely curly fries."

Bitty hummed. "Mmm, yeah. Curly fries too."

"Where do you want to sit?" Stiles asked, looking around.

Bitty hummed and led the way over to a nice booth. They had to go past a booth crammed full of jock types, which instinctively made Bitty nervous, but he pushed past it. 

Stiles was automatically scanning the restaurant for potential dangers and extra exits. He hated that it was a habit of his now, but he couldn't really help it.

Bitty looked over at Stiles and gave him a small smile as they slipped into the booth. He didn't notice how the jocks a few booths over frowned and twitched their noses at them. 

'This is a pretty nice place, really," Stiles commented. "If the food's good, I'll have to come back here."

Bitty nodded. "Definitely." He picked up a menu and hummed. "Ooh, cheeseburgers..."

"Check out the milkshakes they've got," Stiles commented. "I wonder if their pie is as good as yours."

Bitty laughed. "Oh, honey. No one's pie's as good as mine." He paused as a shadow suddenly loomed over their table. He looked up and started at the large, angry woman who was frowning at Stiles. 

"This territory's taken."

"Uh, what?" Stiles asking, his thoughts racing. "Dude, that's really not how it works."

She pulled her lips back and flashed her eyes. "This. Territory's. Taken."

Well, shit. "I have permission to be here," Stiles said firmly. "It was negotiated with your alpha more than six months ago."

She snarled again. "Doesn't mean you're allowed to drag your stink all over our places."

"Our plac-!" Oh. Ohhhhhhh. Stiles pinched the bridge of his nose. "You realise I can't smell for shit, right?"

She bared her teeth again. "Your Alpha should have warned you."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Derek's never been here - how would he know to warn me?"

"Not my fault your Alpha doesn't care enough to scout out your new campus."

Bitty had just about had enough. "There's no need to be rude. Derek's absolutely lovely, and his pack's a damn sight better mannered than yours."

Stiles grinned at Bitty. "Nice." Then, standing up, he turned back to the stranger. "I'll make a few things clear to you, alright, and then we can both go on our merry ways peacefully." His voice had gone deadly calm, and somehow he managed to look threatening. "I have negotiated the right to be in this territory with your alpha, and no part of that agreement has been broken so far. It is a matter of courtesy to avoid marked pack spaces; in future,  _ now that I have been notified _ that this is considered a pack space, I'll keep clear. Your posturing is unnecessary, rude, and wasting both our time."

The woman looked like she was about to start stamping her feet like a teenager when another one, older and looking resigned, stood up from the table and pulled the younger wolf away. "I apologise for that...display. Emily's a new recruit, and she hasn't gotten a hold of herself yet. This is not a pack space, she just wishes it was."

Stiles relaxed a little, but crossed his arms as well. "Given that this is an area with a de facto claim, I can understand that. However, you'd do well to teach her about a little thing called keeping a secret." He raised his eyebrows and gestured at Bitty. "What if my friend here hadn't been in the know? What if I didn't know who the local pack was and was trying to find out? What if the confrontation had escalated enough to catch attention?"

The older beta bristled a little at the challenge, but kept her tone calm. "We're aware of her control issues." She straightened her shoulders. "Emissary or no, we don't need advice on how to handle our betas."

Stiles nodded, his stance firm. "It's your choice, of course, how you ensure the safety of your pack." His voice was bland, but the implication was clear.

Her jaw twitched but she nodded, ducking her head down. "Understood." She backed off and went to sit back down with her pack. 

Bitty shivered at the tension. "Lord. What was that?"

Stiles shook his head. " _ Not here _ ," he mouthed, staying on his feet and jerking his head towards the door. "Let's find somewhere else to eat," he suggested in a normal voice.

Bitty nodded and stood, holding his arms in close to his chest. "Okay." He stuck close to Stiles's side as they made their way out. 

Stiles led them briskly away, not really paying attention to the direction. When he was fairly sure they were far enough, he explained, "That was basically a dominance fight. The girl - Emily? - was saying 'I'm bigger and badder than you, so fuck off'. Then I said, 'You don't impress me, and I'm staying'. The second woman basically tried to acknowledge that I'm higher up the tree than Emily, but in a way that didn't imply I was higher than  _ her _ . Then I told them I thought they were stupid, and she backed down."

Bitty sighed and shook his head. "Oh, Lord. It's almost worse than family get-togethers." He looked up at Stiles. "I wouldn't think that werewolves would be so passive aggressive."

"Werewolves will do basically any kind of aggressive," Stiles said shrugging. "And really I was the more passive aggressive one there. Seriously, though, that shit's not safe."

Bitty looked up at him. "What did she mean when she called you an emissary?"

"Pack-affiliated magic user, high status, acts as an intermediary and advisor to the alpha," Stiles said promptly. 

Bitty was silent for a moment. "Oh. Okay. That's..." He shook his head. "I'm just gonna roll with it."

Stiles laughed. "Basically it just means I'm high status even though I'm not a wolf, and independent of my relationship with Derek."

Bitty nodded and smiled at Stiles. "So, do you also have status because of your relationship with Derek? Is that how that works?"

"Yeah, but..." Stiles shrugged. "Depending on the people involved it might just be a courtesy thing."

Bitty shook his head and pushed his hands into his pockets. "This werewolf thing is complicated."

"You don't  _ have _ to learn about it, you know," Stiles pointed out. "And by the way, I'm sorry you got caught up in that."

Bitty frowned up at Stiles. "You're my friend. Of course I'm going to learn all about this." He shook his head. "Besides, you've learned about hockey for me."

"That's… Thanks, Eric," Stiles said, smiling. "That's really great."

Bitty smiled up at Stiles. "It's okay." He pushed his hands down into his pockets. "I'm just trying to be a good friend."

"You're a great friend," Stiles told him. "You might even be pack one day, if you wanted."

Bitty flushed brightly at that, spluttering and stammering a little. "I - oh, Stiles, I mean, I. Wow."

"Not that you have to!" Stiles reassured him hurriedly. "Just - y'know, if you ever wanted... Derek really likes you, and you've been so great? I don't know, I thought I'd be really lonely up here..."

Bitty smiled and stopped Stiles with a gentle touch on his arm, pulling him down into a tight hug. "Stiles. I would be honored."

Stiles hugged Bitty tightly. "Technically I shouldn't offer until you've met everyone, but I know Derek likes you, and I'm sure everyone else will too..."

Bitty slowly released Stiles, sniffling a little. "I'd love to meet everyone else."

"Maybe you can come home with me on Spring Break?" Stiles suggested hopefully, grinning. "I mean, we kind of talked about it before..."

Bitty grinned. "That sounds wonderful. I'd love to." He hugged Stiles again. "I'll have to clear it with my parents, but I don't think they'll have a problem."

"It's a deal," Stiles said firmly. "Although...I feel like I should warn you: a good half of the pack plays lacrosse."

Bitty laughed. "Oh, I don't have a problem with lacrosse. Just don't tell any of the other team members. Especially Shitty."

Stiles just grinned. "I'll make a note."

\-----

"Hey Eric," Derek said, when the younger man picked up the phone. "Sorry I missed your call earlier - is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine. I just. There was a small confrontation at a diner earlier, and I somehow doubt Stiles will have told you."

Derek sighed. "No, you're right about that. Was there blood spilt?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that. Just a lot of thinly veiled insults and passive aggression." Bitty paused briefly. "Stiles had to explain a bit of what happened, but I don't think it was that bad."

"If it stayed verbal, it probably wasn't," Derek agreed. "Who was it with?"

"A few betas from the local pack. One of them was new and got offended at Stiles's scent."

Derek frowned. "...do you mean they got offended because Stiles still smells like the pack?" he guessed.

"Yeah. I think so. And the lady was very rude about you, but the record was set straight."

Derek snorted. "You mean she insulted me because she wanted to escalate, and then Stiles verbally flattened her."

Bitty thought about telling him it had been  _ him  _ who'd set her straight, but didn't. "More or less."

"Thanks for letting me know," Derek said. "Are you okay?"

Bitty smiled. "I'm just fine." He paused, looking down at his hands. "Stiles invited me for spring break. I hope that's okay."

"Of course it is," Derek replied, smiling back. "We told you at Christmas that you'd be welcome."

"Still,” Bitty pointed out, looking pleased, “it would be rude of me to just show up without checking."

"Well, consider yourself invited," Derek said firmly. "Just let me know if something comes up, okay?"

"Of course I will,” Bitty promised. “Thanks, Derek."

"You're welcome," Derek replied. "And don't worry about the local pack, okay?"

Bitty smiled. "Stiles seems to have them well in hand.” 

Derek grinned. "I'm not surprised."

"It's kinda nice seeing him stand up to people,” Bitty admitted. “Makes me feel nice and safe."

"Good," Derek replied. "He'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few of you have asked, and no, this fic won't end up with Bitty/Stiles. Cuddles, affection, and found family? Yes. And I totally see where you're all coming from with the suggestion, there is definitely a pre-slash polyamory vibe. But Bitty isn't going to have a romantic relationship with Stiles or Derek - sorry to disappoint!


	11. 1.17 - Tadpoles

"So, why the goodie bags?" Stiles asked curiously, flicking through the recipes he had saved on his phone.

"There's a whole bunch of incoming freshmen and I'm putting together little goodie bags to convince them to enroll here." Bitty smiled over at Stiles. "We need a new goalie, now that Johnson's graduating."

Stiles suppressed a shudder at the memory of Johnson's...weirdness. "Right," he said. "And that requires pie?"

Bitty gave Stiles a flat look. "Honey, every occasion requires pie." He set about finding the ingredients for the crust. "When I finally meet your pack, there'll be enough pie to feed a small army."

Stiles grinned, looking over the things on the bench. "What do you think - shortbread or snickerdoodles?"

Bitty hummed, head cocked as he mixed pie crust without really thinking. "Snickerdoodles, I think."

Stiles nodded, grabbing a mixing bowl. "So...are you paying for all this yourself?"

Bitty nodded. "There's no budget for goodie bags, unfortunately."

Stiles frowned as he measured out his flour. "There should be," he muttered. "You shouldn't just...give and get nothing back."

Bitty smiled at Stiles. "Oh, making people happy is enough payment."

Stiles made a mental note to grab one of the older hockey guys and point out that, as they benefited from the fruits of Bitty's labours, they really ought to be compensating him for his materials. He didn't say anything though. Bitty wouldn't get it. "If you say so," he agreed, and turned his attention back to sifting.

Bitty smiled over at Stiles as he wrapped the crust in saran wrap to chill in the fridge. "So, we need enough pies for every freshman, and a few cookies for all of them."

"And... _ how _ many people are coming, exactly?" Stiles checked.

Bitty thought for a moment. "I know at least three are confirmed, but more might be coming."

"How many pies is that?" Stiles asked. He had a feeling Bitty wasn't going to make just three.

Bitty blushed and shrugged. "We should always have extra. Maybe ten?"

"So...three times the confirmed number of people," Stiles said, completely unsurprised.

Bitty wrinkled his nose at Stiles. "It never hurts to be prepared. Besides, it's not as though they'll go uneaten."

Stiles snorted. "That's true. I haven't ever seen you bring back leftovers from the Haus."

Bitty laughed. "I think hockey players eat as much as werewolves."

"Which really just raises a question about werewolf hockey players," Stiles replied. "Can I use the mixer for a bit?"

Bitty gestured for him to go ahead. "Honestly, I'd pay money to see that. And I think a lot of the boys would have fun with that, too."

"...yeah, let's never having an eating contest between my pack and your team," Stiles decided, turning the mixer on.

Bitty laughed. "That's probably a good idea."

"Speaking of the pack, have you talked to your parents about coming home with me on break?" Stiles asked.

Bitty grinned at Stiles. "Yeah. I did. They were nervous, but I think they're happy I'm making friends."

"Awesome!" Stiles grinned back, holding up his hand for a high five. "This is gonna be great!"

Bitty giggled and high fived Stiles. "So, what's the temperature like up where you live?"

Stiles snorted. "Warmer than here, but probably not as much as you're used to."

Bitty laughed. "Not many places are as hot as Georgia."

"True," Stiles agreed. "Is that why you took up ice skating?"

Bitty smiled. "No, I took it up because I saw it on the TV."

"You must have been really cute," Stiles commented. "How old were you?"

"I started when I was seven." Bitty smiled. "My mom has photos."

"Aww, you were tiny!" Stiles exclaimed. "That's adorable."

Bitty blushed. "And I had a really bad haircut."

Stiles shrugged. "Hey, I had a buzz cut for like, six years. I'm not one to talk."

Bitty smiled. "I bet you were cute."

"Mainly I was awkward," Stiles said easily. A couple of years of having someone super into him around had made him feel a lot better about his body. "I don't know what Derek saw in me, but I'm not complaining."

Bitty smiled. "He probably saw how cute you are."

"Aww, you think I'm cute?" Stiles teased. 

Bitty blushed. "You know you're cute."

Stiles leaned over and kissed Bitty on the cheek. "You're cute too, you know."

"Oh, Lord," Bitty said, blushing even brighter.

Stiles laughed. "You're super-adorable when you blush, you know that?"

Bitty ducked his head. "Thanks, Stiles."

"You're welcome," Stiles replied. "Hey, do you want these cookies in any particular shape?"

Bitty shook his head. "Anything's fine."

"Circles it is," Stiles said, heading over to the sink to wash his hands again. "Speaking of things, how's the dating life, now the boys know?"

Bitty sighed and shook his head. "Those boys are doing the best they can, but honestly, I'm not overly interested in blind dates."

"Fair enough," Stiles agreed. "Is there anyone you've got your eye on?"

Bitty blushed. "Uh, no. No I don't."

Stiles grinned. "You're suuuuure?" he teased. "Seriously, you can talk to me. I spent like a decade pining for someone completely unattainable."

Bitty ducked his head. "It's just a silly crush."

Stiles knocked Bitty's arm gently with his elbow. "What are friends for, if not talking about crushes?"

Bitty smiled over at him. "Well. It's, uh. It's Jack."

"Jack?" Stiles blinked. "Aw man, you're as bad off as I am. He's got a nice butt, though, I guess."

Bitty sighed. "I've seen it in sweatpants."

"Don't you share a locker room?" Stiles asked.

"Well, yeah. But my eyes never go below the neck." Bitty glanced over. "Accepting or not, straight boys still freak out when the queer's looking at them."

Stiles bit his lip. He forgot, sometimes, that Bitty's home town hadn't been as tolerant as Beacon Hills.

Bitty sighed. "It's weird. The straight boys will feel each other up and compliment each other's asses, but as soon as I do it, it's weird."

"No homo sucks," Stiles agreed. "You think they're all straight? I mean, statistically, there's probably at least five people on the team that aren't, this being Samwell."

Bitty sighed. "I know. But this is hockey. The no homo is strong."

"That sucks," Stiles said. "Do you belong to the 'keep your mind off it by dating other people' camp, or the 'there's not much point when I'm crushing on someone else' camp?"

Bitty shrugged. "I've never been able to try out either."

"Wanna go dancing?" Stiles offered. "I haven't really looked into it, but I'm sure there's a gay club around here somewhere."

Bitty giggled. "Would Derek be okay with that?"

"Want me to find out?" Stiles asked. "I can call him."

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. And I'd like to go out, if he's alright with it."

"Awesome." Stiles brushed his hands clean on his jeans and reached into his pocket for his phone. "Can you finish those up while I call him?" There was only a little bit of dough left to cut out.

Bitty nodded and easily took over cutting out the cookies. 

Stiles leant back against the counter as he called Derek, fingers tapping against the counter. 

"Stiles! How are you?" Derek said when he answered the phone, sounding a little surprised.

"Hey, babe, would it be okay with you if I took Eric out to a gay club?" It certainly wasn't the weirdest thing he'd asked Derek. 

Derek laughed. "Are you taking him there to hunt a murder-lizard?"

"Nope. To help him get over a crush."

Derek made a sympathetic noise. "Go ahead. But get a taxi if you need to, okay? I'll pay if you can't afford it."

Stiles grinned. "Thanks, babe."

"Have fun," Derek replied. "And say hi to Eric for me."

"I will. Love you." Stiles looked over at Bitty. "Derek says hi."

Bitty smiled. "Hi."

"Eric says hi back."

Derek laughed. "I'm not having a conversation by proxy. Bye, Stiles. Love you too."

Stiles laughed. "Bye, Der."

"So, yeah," he told Eric. "We've got the go ahead, as long as there's no drunk driving involved."

Bitty nodded. "Well, that sounds reasonable. Not that I'll be drinking."

"Right, you don't have ID," Stiles said.

Bitty nodded. "And even if I did, I'd never pass for twenty one."

Stiles gave Bitty a considering look. "Maybe if you had shorter friends," he admitted. "And a different haircut."

Bitty pulled at his fringe. "What kind of haircut?"

"I'm not really an expert," Stiles said. "That's Lydia. She basically stole my clippers to force me to grow mine out."

Bitty nodded. "Well, maybe she could give me some advice."

"When we go out, you should check out the guys there and see if anyone has a hairstyle you like," Stiles suggested.

"I was planning on checking out other attributes." Bitty blushed but grinned at Stiles. 

Stiles grinned back, waggling his eyebrows ridiculously. "So tell me, Eric, are you an ass man?"

Bitty did his best to keep his composure. "Well, look at what sport I play. I'm surrounded by amazing asses."

"That could go two ways, though," Stiles pointed out. "You could become an ass connoisseur, or asses could no longer impress you anymore."

Bitty hummed. "A little of column A, a little of column B."

"Does 'B' stand for biceps?" Stiles asked.

Bitty giggled. "I do like nice biceps. And nice thighs."

"Man, all that squatting...I bet you guys have  _ awesome _ thighs," Stiles mused. "What are you going to wear?"

Bitty shrugged. "I don't really have much to wear dancing. Well. Line dancing, sure. Club dancing? No."

Stiles snorted. "You should wear booty shorts. Show off your hockey ass."

Bitty blushed. "I don't have booty shorts."

"You could buy some," Stiles suggested with a shrug. "I mean, jeans would work, they just get kinda hot when you're dancing."

Bitty glanced over. "I'm not sure I could manage to do that without bursting into flame."

"Dance in jeans, or buy booty shorts?" Stiles asked.

"Well, both. I think." Bitty looked over. "The only shorts I have are cargo."

Stiles laughed. "You know, the first time I went to a gay club, I was wearing baggy jeans, ratty sneakers, and two loose shirts. So, pretty much whatever you wear, you'll do better than me."

Bitty laughed. "Well, that's reassuring. But I at least wanna get a dance, so I'll try and source some booty shorts."

"We can drop by the Haus and make Jack stare at your ass," Stiles joked.

Bitty squeaked and swatted at Stiles. "No! I'll be chirped forever."

"You think I didn't see booty shorts at the Haus party I came to?" Stiles pointed out. "I get it, I won't make you. But wouldn't you love to see those guys admiring your ass? It's very nice, you know."

Bitty shifted a little, self-conscious. "Well. It's not as nice as some of the other guys'."

"It's still nicer than most of the werewolves I know," Stiles countered.

Bitty blushed and looked over. "Really?"

"Really," Stiles said. "They're all arm guys, anyway. You're kind of a leg man."

Bitty nodded. "That I am."

\-----

Stiles came out of the bathroom in his boxers, scrubbing his hair with a towel. "Do you think I should wear eye makeup?" he asked.

Bitty looked up from contemplating his hair, blinking in surprise. "You have eye makeup?"

"Yup." Stiles started rummaging in a drawer for his skinny jeans. "Black or denim, do you think?"

"Black. Why do you have eye makeup?" Bitty turned away from his mirror to go dig out the clothes he'd bought for the occasion. He was a little nervous about what he'd chosen, even though he knew it looked good. 

"When I was sixteen I made friends with some drag queens," Stiles said, wriggling into his jeans. "It looks good on me, and a little eyeliner isn't expensive."

Bitty was silent for a moment. "You have many interesting stories I have yet to hear." He stood and picked up his shorts, taking a deep breath before pulling them on. The shorts covered his ass, but just barely, exposing the full length of his thighs. 

"Oooh,  _ nice _ ," Stiles said, looking Bitty up and down. "You went all out, huh."

Bitty blushed. "I think it works." He pulled his singlet off and pulled on his other purchase - a crop top that framed his emerging abs nicely. 

"Damn," Stiles said admiringly. "I've gotta take up ice skating. You've got some serious muscles there, dude."

Eric shifted self-consciously. "Well, I work out." He smiled at Stiles. "You look good too."

"Ha," Stiles replied. "C'mon, I'm only half-dressed."

Bitty smiled. "Well, best finish getting dressed, then. And maybe find that eyeliner."

"Do you want some?" Stiles offered, looking through his t-shirts. "I promise not to poke you in the eye."

Bitty bit his lip but nodded. "Yeah. As long as you make sure I don't look like a raccoon."

"You won't look like a  _ raccoon _ ," Stiles objected. "You'll only look like a raccoon if you sleep with it on."

Bitty smiled. "Okay, then. I won't sleep with it on."

"Hang on a sec." Stiles tugged a tight black t-shirt on over his head, then went looking in his bag of tricks for the eyeliner. It was a bit of a weird place to keep it, but it's not like he had a make-up box.

Bitty's eyes widened a little when he saw where Stiles was rummaging. "Wait, this isn't magic eyeliner, right?"

"Don't worry, I bought it at Target," Stiles reassured him. "I just don't have anywhere better to keep it. Well, and I can use it magically if I want, because it's a kind of writing, but that's me, not the eyeliner."

Bitty relaxed a bit. "Okay. Good. It's just concerning when I see you pull things out of there."

"Fair enough," Stiles replied, grinning. "Do you  _ want _ any magic? It's pretty easy to attach vision spells to eye makeup."

Bitty shook his head. "Uh, no. I'm good, I think."

Stiles shrugged. "Cool." He was going to do a little on himself, though. Just one to let him see ill intent. You never could be too careful.

Bitty sat down on his bed and ran his hands over his thighs. "Don't make my eyes look too big, though."

"Sure," Stiles agreed, dragging a chair over and sitting down. "Close your eyes."

Bitty closed his eyes, biting his lip and folding his hands. 

"Relax," Stiles said, holding Bitty's face steady with one hand as he started carefully applying the eyeliner.

Bitty took a deep breath and relaxed, his fingers twisting in each other. 

"You can talk if you want to," Stiles reassured him. "It doesn't matter if your mouth is moving."

Bitty smiled. "I just don't want to distract you."

"It's cool, you go right ahead," Stiles said. "Okay, I'm gonna do your lower lid now."

Bitty bit his lip. "Yeah, okay. What do you want me to do?"

"Look up, but keep your eyes closed - try not to screw them up tight, if that makes sense," Stiles explained. "I mean, that's a pretty natural reaction when something's poking you in the eye, but..."

Bitty nodded and tilted his head back. "Okay. I'll do my best."

"You're doing fine," Stiles reassured him. "So tell me, how's things with the guys?"

Bitty hummed. "Well. Pretty good, all things considered. My checking problem's getting better."

"That's great!" Stiles replied. "At least all those early mornings with Jack are getting somewhere."

"Yeah, they really are,” Bitty said with a smile. “It's good."

"Has he been any less of a dick lately?" Stiles asked curiously.

Bitty hummed. "Well. Maybe. He's not really overtly hostile."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Great. Huge step up there."

Bitty sighed. "Well. It's as good as I'm going to hope for."

"I get that," Stiles said with a grimace. "I guess all you can do is give it time."

“Yeah,” Bitty agreed. “Maybe he'll have a change of heart or something."

"It happens," Stiles reassured him. "I mean, Derek was a dick to me when we met. Then again, I was a dick to him too."

Bitty blushed a little. "Are you implying that Jack has a crush on me?"

Stiles managed not to laugh. "Nooo, me and Derek being dicks had nothing to do with feelings and everything to do with circumstances. I mean, Jack  _ could _ have a crush on you. I wouldn't know."

Eric blushed. "He doesn't have a crush on me, Stiles! He's straight."

Stiles shrugged. "Either way, your eyeliner's done," he said. "Go have a look."

Bitty stood and went over to the mirror, grinning as he looked at himself. "I look amazing."

"Hell yeah, you do," Stiles said smugly.

Bitty grinned over at him, grabbing his phone to take a bunch of selfies. 

Stiles laughed. "If there's any chance Jack's  _ not  _ straight, he's going to swallow his tongue."

Bitty blushed and stuck his tongue out. He sent the best selfie to the group chat, kinda hoping Jack would see. 

Replies started coming in almost immediately, and Stiles snorted. "Who'd you send it to?"

Bitty grinned at Stiles. "The group chat."

Stiles shook his head, amused. "Variations on a theme of 'glorious motherfucker' and 'woo, get it'?"

Bitty nodded, blushing a little at some of Shitty's more... effusive praise. "Basically."

"Cool," Stiles said. "I'll let you gossip with them while I get my eyes done, and then we'll head out, yeah?"

Bitty nodded, watching his phone for any sign of Jack's reaction. 

Stiles had turned away, heading for the bathroom mirror. "Don't startle me, okay?" he warned over his shoulder. "I don't want to poke myself in the eye, or fuck up the charm."

Bitty nodded, starting to chew on his lip. "Yeah, okay. I'll be quiet."

"Thanks," Stiles replied.

Bitty flopped back onto his bed, his foot twitching as he waited for Stiles to be done. 

Stiles came out a few minutes later, seeing everything a little sharper now he had his charmed eyeliner on. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Bitty nodded, looking up and grinning. "You should send Derek a selfie."

"Get in here," Stiles said, grinning back and pulling out his phone. 

Bitty giggled and bounced over, pressing in close to Stiles' side for the selfie. 

Stiles snapped a picture and sent it to Derek. "Shall we get going?" he suggested.

Bitty nodded. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to imagine Jack's reaction to Bitty's outfit ;)


	12. 1.20 - Playoffs

Stiles didn't watch every one of Bitty's games, and in fact, he hadn't been watching this one, but he knew it was happening, and he knew instantly when something was wrong. One of the charms on Bitty's bracelet was an alarm bell, and it was 'ringing' damn loudly. He took off at a run, using magic, persuasion, and sneakiness to get to the trainers’ room where...Bitty had just been diagnosed with a concussion. Shit. 

"No sleeping for at least four hours," the first aid person was saying, "and then someone needs to keep a watch on you overnight."

"I'll do it," Stiles said immediately.

Lardo looked up from Bitty, frowning at Stiles. It was obvious she was thinking that he shouldn't be there. "No, we're taking care of him at the Haus."

Bitty looked over, obviously having trouble focusing on what was happening. "Stiles?"

"Hey, Eric," Stiles said gently. "How are you feeling? A little woozy, I'm guessing?"

Bitty just whined, letting his head rest against the bed and screwing his eyes shut against his headache. 

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Stiles said sympathetically. "Getting up to go back to the dorm isn't gonna be great, but you'll feel better once you're in your own bed, I promise."

Bitty was about to answer when Lardo butted in. "We're taking him back to the Haus. It's closer and there's more people to look after him."

"No, you aren't," Stiles said firmly. "I am perfectly capable of looking after someone with a concussion, and he'll be most comfortable in his own bed. Where would he sleep over there, anyway? On the floor? In Jack's bed?" His tone of voice made it clear how scathing he was. "What about on the couch he insists is diseased?"

"Jack'd be more than happy to give his bed up for the night, yeah." Lardo frowned. "We can look after Bitty just fine."

Stiles snorted, heading over to Bitty and touching his hand lightly to catch his attention. "Eric?" he said quietly. "Sorry, but I need you to pay attention for a minute. Can you do that?"

Bitty looked over, frowning and whining a little. "Stiles?"

"Hey," Stiles murmured. "That's great, Eric, thanks. We're just trying to decide who's going to look after you tonight. Do you want to come back to the dorm with me, or do you want to go to the Haus with Lardo and the boys?"

Bitty was silent for a while, obviously trying to process. "I..." He whined again, pressing his head to Stiles' shoulder. 

"I know," Stiles soothed him, rubbing Bitty's back slowly. "Take your time. There's no rush, you just think it through."

Bitty just curled into Stiles, wanting someone else to make the choice. 

"Alright," Stiles murmured. "That's fine. You're doing good." He looked up at Lardo, raising his eyebrows.

Lardo just stared back, trying to get Stiles to back down. 

"Eric, can you tell me how you feel about Jack and Shitty and Lardo looking after you?" Stiles asked quietly, not looking down. "You don't have to choose, just tell me how you feel."

Bitty blinked at Stiles, trying figure out what he wanted. "I... I don't know."

Stiles sighed. "That's fine, Eric. You're doing just fine. I'd like to take you back to our dorm, but Lardo wants to make sure that's the best thing for you first."

Bitty looked up and then nuzzled in, closing his eyes. He just wanted to sleep. 

"Lardo," Stiles said quietly, looking over at her, "let me look after him. Please."

Lardo sighed. "Fine. But only if you let the team stop by to check in."

"That's fine, but take turns, and if he needs a break, you respect that," Stiles said firmly.

Lardo frowned. "I won't let them be dicks."

"I meant that they're loud, not that they're hostile," Stiles said with a frown. "Anyway. I came here on foot - can we get a lift to our dorm from someone?" It wasn't far, but Bitty obviously didn't want to be walking right now.

Lardo looked out towards the door. "The boys still have five minutes of game left."

Stiles sighed. "Great," he muttered. "Eric? Are you falling asleep on me?"

Bitty mumbled something, definitely falling asleep. 

"Eric," Stiles said firmly, rubbing his back. "Eric, I need you to stay awake. Can you do that?"

Bitty groaned, covering his eyes with his forearm. "Nooooo."

Stiles laughed a little. "I know, it's a bit of a bitch, but you've gotta do it anyway. Talk to me?"

Bitty just whined. "You're so mean."

"Yeah, I know," Stiles agreed. "And you're kind of adorably pathetic right now. But it's necessary. I'll let you sleep when I can."

Bitty pouted. "I bet Jack would let me sleep."

"He wakes you up at four in the morning three days a week," Stiles pointed out incredulously.

Bitty wasn't in any shape for reason. "Derek would let me sleep."

Stiles laughed. "Derek's looked after  _ me _ on concussion watch, and I promise you he's three times as careful as I am," he said. "Would you like to talk to him? We can call him when we get back to the dorm."

Bitty perked up a little. "Yeah. Sounds nice."

"Awesome," Stiles said, grinning. "We'll do that, then."

Bitty smiled and cuddled back into Stiles' side. 

Stiles glanced up at Lardo, giving her a smile and a shrug. If Bitty wanted cuddles, Stiles wasn't going to push him away. "You can stay here if you want," he told her, "but we'll be fine until you can get us a ride. You can go deal with the rest of the team if you want."

Lardo glanced at the door and then at Bitty, nodding. "I'll go herd the boys."

"Thanks," Stiles said, turning his attention back to Bitty.

Lardo stood and left, just as the sound of the team coming down the tunnel reached the trainers room. 

"How are you feeling, Eric?" Stiles asked softly. "Still awake?"

Bitty grunted. "Where's Derek?"

"He's in California," Stiles replied. "I haven't called him yet."

Bitty whined, trying to block the light out with Stiles' chest. "But I got a headache."

"Yeah," Stiles agreed. "That's because you got hit in the head." Not that he knew  _ how _ it had happened yet, but he'd find out. "Unfortunately, Derek isn't magically summoned by headaches."

Bitty pouted. "But he's a werewolf."

"That doesn't mean he can teleport," Stiles countered, hoping that anyone who might overhear them would assume Bitty was just being weird because of the concussion. "Scruffiness and teleportation are two completely different kinds of magic."

Bitty pouted even more. "Can't he learn?"

"Sorry, Eric," Stiles said, hiding a smile. "Teleportation is very advanced magic. Derek's just gonna have to use planes like the rest of us."

Bitty perked up a little. "He's coming?"

Stiles hugged Bitty a little closer. "You want him to come visit?" he asked. "Because I can ask him to."

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. I like him."

"Well, when we call him later, I'll ask him to arrange a flight," Stiles promised.

Bitty smiled up at Stiles. "Thanks, Stiles."

"You're welcome," Stiles replied easily. "I'm glad you like him."

Bitty smiled. "He's a good boyfriend."

"He's a good friend, too, and he likes you," Stiles said. "I'm sure he'll be happy to visit, even if he'll be cranky about you getting hurt."

Bitty smiled. "He can give me wolfy cuddles."

"Absolutely," Stiles agreed. 

Bitty smiled and closed his eyes. 

Jack opened the door a moment later, looking shaken and tense. "You need a lift?"

"Yeah," Stiles said abruptly. "Eric," he murmured, ruffling Bitty's hair. "Time to get up, okay?"

Bitty pouted and pressed in closer. "Noooo."

Jack looked between them, an irritated frown on his face. "Cmon, Bittle." He walked over, scooping Bitty up easily. 

Stiles frowned a little at the manhandling, but he stood, and followed. "So what actually happened?" he asked.

Jack's lips pursed. "He took a bad check."

"Wow, that was super informative," Stiles said sarcastically.

Jack glared at Stiles, holding Bitty a little closer. "That's it. He took a bad hit and went down."

"You're the worst at telling stories I've ever heard," Stiles said, but he dropped the issue. He'd hear the whole thing from someone soon enough. "Eric? How're you doing?"

Bitty hummed. "Smell nice."

Stiles smirked a little, thinking of Bitty's crush on Jack, and pulled out his phone to take a photo.

Jack frowned over. "What are you doing?"

"Taking a picture to show Eric later," Stiles replied. "He might not remember it clearly."

Jack frown deepened. "Why does he need to remember this?"

"Hey Eric," Stiles said. "You want a picture of Jack carrying you around like a princess?"

Bitty giggled. "I'm a princess."

"See?" Stiles said, snapping a picture. "He's cool with it."

"He's concussed." Jack adjusted his grip on Bitty, holding him tight. 

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Yeah, if someone made a move on him they'd be a shitbag. Taking a picture for him to look at later is fine."

Jack blushed a little and looked away, remaining stubbornly silent the rest of the way to his car.

\-----

Bitty burrowed into the covers as soon as he was on his bed, pulling them over his head to block out the light. 

Sympathetically, Stiles turned the lights off except for his own bedside lamp, coming over to sit next to the lump of blankets that Bitty appeared to be. "Still hurting?" he asked quietly.

Bitty nodded, wriggling out of his lump just enough to set his head on Stiles' leg. 

Stiles stroked his hair, keeping his touch gentle and soft. "Sorry. It sucks. And you've got to stay awake for a while longer, I'm afraid."

Bitty whined. "I don't wanna."

"I know," Stiles commiserated. "But we've got to make sure that your brain only got rattled, not scrambled."

Bitty pouted. "Fine..."

"You are just adorable," Stiles commented under his breath. "Now, Lardo said you'd probably get some visitors - are you okay with that? Is there anyone you don't want to see?"

Bitty thought hard, frowning. "I... no. I love all the boys."

"I'm telling you you said that tomorrow," Stiles said, brushing his fingers over Bitty's wrinkled forehead. "But that's fine, I'll let them in. One at a time, and they'd better be quiet."

Bitty looked up at him, smiling. His phone chimed then, and he reached for it, having completely forgotten the 'no screens' order. 

Stiles set his hand on Bitty's, stopping him. "You can't use your phone," he reminded him. "I can read stuff to you, though."

Bitty nodded. "Thanks, Stiles."

The text was from Lardo, addressed to Stiles:  _ I don't have ur #, but I assume u won't let Bitty use screens. I'm bringing the boys in 20 mins. - LD _

"It's for me, actually," Stiles reported, quickly replying, ‘ _ Got it. See you soon - SS _ ’. "Lardo's bringing the boys around in about twenty minutes. Is there anything you want to do before they get here?"

Bitty looked up. "Derek?"

"We can call him," Stiles agreed, smiling down at Bitty. He got his own phone out and dialled.

"Hi," Derek answered warmly. "What's up?"

"I'm putting you on speaker, babe," Stiles told him. "Eric's got a concussion."

Bitty perked up a little. "Derek, I got a headache."

"What happened?" Derek asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Bitty frowned. "I... I don't really remember. I was on a breakaway... "

"During a game," Stiles explained. "Jack said you took a bad check?"

Bitty was silent for a moment. "Yeah. A big guy was there."

Stiles frowned. "I guess we'll have to ask the team when they show up. Anyway, the point is, it was in a hockey game, and there's no danger."

Derek made a dissatisfied noise. "I suppose. How are you feeling, Eric?"

"Got a headache and Stiles is being mean and not letting me nap." Bitty pouted. 

"I'm being careful," Stiles countered. "You have to stay awake for the first four hours afterwards."

"He's right," Derek agreed. "But I'm sorry about your headache."

Bitty sighed. "Fine..."

"Thank you," Stiles said, stroking Eric's hair again. "I know it's unpleasant."

Bitty nodded. "It is."

"I'm glad you called me," Derek said quietly. "Is there anything I can do?"

Bitty looked up at Stiles hopefully, not wanting to be the one to ask Derek to fly out. 

Stiles smiled at him. "Eric was wondering earlier if you could come visit."

Bitty smiled. "Yeah. Can you please come?"

"You want me there?" Derek asked, surprised.

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. I want werewolf cuddles."

"He was complaining earlier that you couldn't teleport," Stiles added.

Bitty pouted. "It's not fair."

"Teleportation is almost impossible," Derek said gently, biting back a smile. "But I'll organise flights."

Bitty smiled. "And I can have werewolf cuddles?"

"They're really not that different to normal cuddles," Derek pointed out. "But yes. You can."

Bitty smiled. "Can I have a nap now?"

"Not yet, sorry, " Stiles said. "You've got another...three and a bit hours to go." And it looked like they were going to be  _ long _ hours.

Bitty whined, flopping over. He stayed flopped until there was a knock at the door. 

"Say bye to Derek," Stiles told Bitty, getting up. "That'll be the boys coming to visit."

"Bye, Derek. I'll see you later for cuddles." He smiled and pushed himself to sit up. "My team's here."

"See you, Eric," Derek said, and hung up.

"Hopefully it's not the  _ whole _ team," Stiles muttered, opening the door.

Lardo was at the door, Shitty next to her with a concerned frown on his face. "Where's Bitty?"

Stiles stepped aside, gesturing to the bed.

Shitty stepped inside, giving Bitty a small smile. "Hey, Bitty. How're you holding up?"

Bitty pouted a little. "Stiles won't let me sleep."

"Sorry, dude, doctor's orders," Stiles said, not very sympathetically. "If you guys want to have a go at keeping him amused for the next three hours without straining his brain, go ahead."

Shitty pulled up a chair. "We'll do our best. No screens, right?"

"No screens, and nothing where he has to focus too hard," Stiles confirmed. 

Shitty nodded, pulling out his phone. "Good thing Jack introduced me to the magic of podcasts."

"Yeah, sounds good," Stiles agreed. "Eric, are you cool if I go shower?"

Bitty looked up and nodded. "I'm okay with Shitty."

"Cool." Stiles came over and hugged Bitty around the shoulders. "Yell if you need me."

Bitty leant into Stiles, nodding. He leant into Shitty when Stiles left, accepting the earbud Shitty gave him. 

Where Bitty couldn't see, Lardo gestured at Stiles with raised eyebrows, mouthing, 'see?'

Bitty looked back at Lardo, smiling. "Can you tell the boys I'm okay?"

"Brah, that was like the first thing she did when the game ended," Shitty said, ruffling Bitty's hair carefully.

Bitty nodded. "Good. I don't want those silly boys to worry like I know they will."

"Dude, we freaked the fuck out when you got checked," Shitty told him. "That fucker did  _ not _ have a good time the rest of the period."

Bitty frowned. "I hope none of y'all were fighting. The last thing we need is a bunch of suspensions. Y'all aren't allowed to just go dropping gloves everywhere over every little knock."

"Little knock!" Lardo gave Shitty a sharp look at the increased volume, and he dropped his voice to an insistent whisper. " _ Little knock _ \- Bitty, that wasn't the sort of check you see every game, and you had to be helped off the ice!"

"Exactly! I ain't dead, so there's no excuse for rowdiness." Bitty carefully shook his head, grimacing at the pain the action caused. "Though if I do die, I'm haunting every single one of y'all's asses unless you avenge me."

"No dying," Lardo said firmly. "That's rule one, got it?"

Bitty looked over at her and smiled. "Of course not."

"Good," Shitty agreed. "And what makes you think we need an excuse for rowdiness?"

Bitty sighed, sounding put-upon. "I know. I've lived through too many bets to think you need an excuse."

"So, our favourite guy gets checked after a motherfuckin' badass assist..." Shitty said, ruffling Bitty's hair. "Of course we got rowdy."

Bitty pursed his lips at Shitty. "I'm gonna be madder than a hen if any of y'all got suspended."

"You're very Southern today," Shitty teased. "And nah, no one did, though Jack came close."

"No chirping. I'm concussed." He cuddled a little closer into Shitty's side. "Jack?"

"Yeah, he got pretty pissed," Shitty replied.

Bitty frowned. "But Jack doesn't like me."

Shitty shook his head. "Nah, bro, he likes you fine," he insisted. "He's just a socially awkward motherfucker."

Bitty frowned, climbing into Shitty's lap and leaning against him. "Oh."

Shitty cuddled Bitty automatically, trying to figure out what to say. "Look, between growing up in hockey's toxic masculinity and his own anxiety, Jack's pretty fucking awful at feelings, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care, yeah? You're part of his team, so he's got your back."

Bitty hummed, resting his head on Shitty's shoulder. "Oh."

"That's what you said last time," Shitty pointed out. "Are you falling asleep on me?"

Bitty grumbled, his eyes slipping shut. 

"Ohhh no," Shitty said firmly, joggling his leg a little. "No naps yet."

Bitty whined, reluctantly opening his eyes. "I'm tired."

"Sorry, bro," Shitty replied. "Hey, how about you tell me about Stiles or something? You can do the talking for a while."

Bitty smiled. "Stiles is great. He makes good cookies and gives good cuddles."

"That's adorable as shit," Shitty replied, grinning. "Are his cookies better than your pies?"

Bitty gave Shitty a flat look. "Hon, nothing's better than my pies."

Shitty cackled. "Man, where's that confidence on the ice?"

"In my figure skates." Bitty shifted, trying to find a position that didn't hurt his neck. 

"Fair enough," Shitty agreed. "Has Stiles seen - " Stiles came back into the room, dumping his dirty laundry into the hamper. "Awesome - Stiles! Have you seen Bits figure skate?"

Bitty patted Shitty's hair before climbing out of his lap to wrap himself around Stiles. "I don't have my figure skates here, so no one has."

Stiles hugged Bitty automatically, checking him over, but he seemed fine. "You should bring them back here next time you go home," he suggested.

Bitty smiled, nodding. "Or maybe I'll have Mama send them up, seeing as I'm going with you for Spring Break."

"You're going home with Stiles for Spring Break?" Shitty repeated, shocked. He'd known they were friends, but until tonight he hadn't had a clue they were any closer than that. Certainly not 'visit the folks' close.

Bitty nodded and grinned. "I'm gonna meet all his friends."

"Except Derek," Stiles pointed out. "You've already met Derek."

Bitty nodded. "Derek's great. He's so pretty."

"Prettier than me?" Stiles joked, enjoying Bitty's mood.

Bitty giggled. "Oh, I don't know. You're both pretty."

"Awww." Stiles squeezed Bitty a little and kissed his cheek. "You're sweet."

Bitty giggled and cuddled in closer. He didn't notice as Lardo nudged Shitty, her eyebrows shooting up as she gestured towards Stiles and Bitty. 

" _ Fine," _ Shitty mouthed, rolling his eyes. Yes, Bitty and Stiles were obviously dating. He could admit when he was wrong. "Bits, we're gonna let you guys be, but call if you need anything, yeah?"

Bitty nodded. "Okay. Make sure the boys don't get rowdy."

"Rowdy? Us?" Shitty joked.

Bitty frowned. "I won't be happy if I find out there's been nonsense."

"No nonsense," Lardo agreed, smiling a little. "I'll keep them in line."

Bitty nodded. "Good. Shitty, make sure the boys listen to Lardo."

"Sir yes sir," Shitty agreed, with a sloppy salute.

Bitty giggled. "Okay. Tell everyone I'll come around tomorrow."

"Will do," Lardo agreed, slinging her arm around Shitty's neck and tugging him away towards the door.

Bitty smiled and tucked himself closer to Stiles. "Bye."

"Bye guys," Stiles said as they left. After a second, he got up and locked the door, putting that extra twist of concentration in it that activated his wards. 

Bitty curled up on his bed to watch, sighing. "How much longer until I can sleep?"

"You're halfway there, just about," Stiles promised. "Sorry. Do you want me to get my special washcloth so you can get cleaned up? You're still sweaty from the game."

Bitty nodded. "Please."

"Alright, just a minute," Stiles said, heading over to his kit and having a rummage. "Do you need help getting undressed or are you fine?'

"I'm okay. I can undress myself." Bitty pulled his shirt off, wincing as it jostled his head. 

"Be careful," Stiles warned him, wincing at the bruises starting to come up on Bitty's body.

Bitty gingerly prodded at one of the bruises, making a face. "Ow."

"That tends to happen when you poke a bruise," Stiles pointed out.

Bitty pouted at Stiles. "It's really sore."

"When you're clean, I'll give you a salve to put on it, okay?" Stiles offered.

Bitty nodded. "Thanks."

\-----

Derek booked a flight as soon as he could, and got a taxi to the dorms. There was no point bothering Stiles about it - he had enough on his plate. He hadn't even checked if Stiles would be at class when he got there; if need be, he could just sit and read. Despite the circumstances, though, he was excited to see Stiles in person again, and he knocked on the door hopefully.

Bitty whined and threw a pillow at the door. "Go away. I got a headache."

Derek laughed a little, shaking his head sympathetically. "I won't go away," he said clearly, "but I can wait out here if you want."

There was silence before the sound of Eric extracting himself from his misery cocoon. He opened the door and face planted into Derek's chest. "Thought you were a teammate."

Derek smiled, hugging Eric close and inhaling deeply. His scent on its own was comforting, as someone pack-adjacent, but there was also  _ Stiles' _ scent in the air, which Derek always missed desperately. "You doing okay?" he asked quietly.

Eric shook his head. "My brain's eggs."

"Eggs?" Derek asked curiously, one hand coming up to rest at the nape of Eric's neck. "Here, let me help with the headache."

Bitty snuffled a little. "All... y'know. When you make eggs all messed up." He sighed as he leaned into Derek's touch. "I want proper wolf cuddles."

"Oh, scrambled," Derek said, starting to pull pain. "We can cuddle if you want."

Bitty nodded, melting into Derek's touch. "Yeah. Stiles's at class."

"I figured," Derek murmured, smiling. "How about we go lie down, and you can tell me what's been happening?"

Bitty nodded but didn't move, firmly barnacled onto Derek. "Stiles is a momma hen."

Derek laughed. "He can be, yes. What did he do?"

Bitty waved a hand. "Henned."

"I see," Derek said, biting back a smile. "Let's get you back to bed, hmm?"

Bitty nodded, still not moving. "Are all werewolves this warm?"

"Usually," Derek said, nudging Bitty backwards. "Come on, let's go."

Bitty took a step back, but seemed unwilling to go any further. "Do you know any single werewolf guys? It's colder 'an a witch's tit up here."

Derek just kept slowly moving, forcing Bitty to move with him. "I don't know the locals," he replied. "And if they weren't local, it would defeat the point."

Bitty pouted. "Then I'm just gonna have to borrow you."

Derek smiled. "I don't mind. Are you ready to get into bed now?"

Bitty nodded. "Stiles calls it my sadness nest."

Derek laughed. "Sounds like Stiles." He let go of Bitty and sat down to take his shoes off. 

Bitty huddled back into his nest of blankets, making plaintive noises until Derek joined him. 

Eric was just adorable right now, Derek thought. He got into the bed, snuggling close and wrapping his arms around Eric. "Better?" he asked.

Bitty nodded, cuddling back into the security of Derek’s arms.

"Do you want to tell me what's been going on, or would you like to just rest for a while?" Derek asked quietly, making sure his hand was touching Eric's skin so he could keep up the pain drain.

Bitty mumbled something indistinct, already half asleep. 

Derek chuckled. "Alright, then," he said quietly. "You go ahead and nap."

\-----

Stiles quietly made his way into the room about half an hour later, looking around for Bitty. He grinned as he spotted Derek, his heart leaping in his chest. He made his way over without waking Bitty, leaning over to greet his boyfriend with a kiss. 

"Hi," Derek said softly, his heart warming. "It's good to see you. Want to join us?"

Stiles nodded, pulling his shoes off so he could cuddle in behind Derek. "Didn't know you were getting here this early."

"I thought I'd surprise you," Derek murmured, shuffling a little closer to Bitty to make room. 

Stiles smiled and nuzzled Derek's neck, pressing in close. "The best surprise."

Derek hummed happily. "God, I've missed you," he said quietly. "It's so good to be here."

Stiles kissed Derek's jaw. "Wish it wasn't 'cause Eric's hurt."

"Mm. He'll be alright, though," Derek said softly. "Even if he is very silly right now."

Stiles smiled. "His brain got a little scrambled."

"He told me pretty much straight away that his brain was eggs," Derek agreed.

Stiles smiled. "Yeah. A little bit of word mixing going on."

"He's doing okay, though?" Derek checked.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah. He's okay. He's gotten really tactile, and he gets frustrated easily, but he's okay."

"That's good," Derek said softly. "Is he still planning to come home with you in the break?"

Stiles nodded. "Yeah. He wants to meet the pack."

"I think he'll fit in well," Derek said. "At least, I hope he does. He's been a good friend to you."

Stiles smiled. "Yeah. This year wouldn't have been as fun without him."

\-----

Bitty grumbled and woke a while later, curling up before he stretched out. "Ugh..." There wasn't as much room as he was expecting, though, with two other people in the bed. Bitty shifted, suddenly wide awake as he nearly fell out of bed. He grabbed onto Derek before he fell, squeaking and flailing a little. "Huh?"

Derek hurriedly wrapped his arm around Bitty's waist, tugging him back to safety. "It's Derek, remember?" he said. 

Bitty blinked at Derek, his brain taking a moment to catch up. "Oh. Okay. I'm close to the edge."

Derek smiled. "This bed's really not made for three people," he agreed.

It took Bitty a moment to figure out what Derek meant. Stiles sat up while Bitty thought, smiling at him. 

Derek laughed a little. "Stiles came to join us while you were asleep," he explained.

Bitty nodded and settled back down. 

Stiles climbed out of bed and settled at the end instead, patting Bitty's leg. "How's your head doing?"

Bitty hummed. "Derek helped."

"It didn't seem too bad, actually," Derek commented.

Bitty nodded. "The doctor said it was just a mild bash."

"Good," Derek said firmly.

Bitty gave him a small smile. "Thanks for coming all the way out here."

"You guys are two of my favourite people," Derek reassured him. "Visiting you is great."

Bitty blushed and ducked under the blankets a little. Stiles laughed, nudging him. "Awww."

"Eric can be shy if he wants," Derek said firmly, biting back a smile.

Stiles smiled and patted Bitty's leg. "Yeah. It's cute."

" _ Someone _ has to be cute around here, after all," Derek said, struggling to keep a straight face.

Stiles made an indignant noise. "I know you think I'm cute, Hale."

"We're using last names now, Stilinski?" Derek replied, eyebrows raised.

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "That's weirdly hot."

Derek's eyebrows flew higher. "Seriously?"

Stiles nodded, pulling Derek closer. "To be fair, most things you do are really hot."

"I think that might be the long-distance thing talking," Derek teased.

Bitty whined and pushed Stiles off the bed. "No making out when I don't have someone to make out with too."

Derek laughed a little as Stiles flailed. "Fair enough," he agreed. "We'll save the kisses for when we've got a private minute."

Bitty shifted over to cuddle into Derek again. "My head hurts again."

Stiles glanced over at the clock. "Have you taken anything since I left for class?" he asked.

Bitty shook his head. "Too far away."

Stiles shook his head and got up. "Better take them then," he said.

Bitty sighed but carefully sat up so he could take his pills. 

Stiles passed the packet over with a bottle of water. "I know it sucks," he said, "but it won't last too much longer. Your headache should be mostly gone tomorrow, I think."

Bitty took the pills and settled back down. "Good. I hate it."

"You'll be alright," Derek said quietly, tucking Bitty close. "It'll pass."

Bitty made a grumbling noise but let himself be cuddled again. 

\-----

"Stop worrying," Derek murmured, wrapping his arm around Stiles' waist as they walked. "Eric's team will look after him. He'll be fine."

Stiles made a face at Derek, still leaning into him. "I know. They're still all loud and brash, though. It just seems like a bad idea."

Derek rolled his eyes. "He'll be  _ fine _ ," he promised. "They care about him. And he's already recovering."

Stiles sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I know. It's just. He feels like pack, you know?"

"I can tell," Derek murmured, touching his chest. "I think I'm starting to be aware of him."

Stiles grinned. "Yeah? That's awesome. Should we tell him?"

Derek frowned. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I want him to have the most choice possible. If that's telling him now, so he can distance himself if he wants, or letting it go, so he doesn't feel obligated to stay..."

Stiles pouted and whined. "But I don't wanna let him go."

"I know," Derek said with a sigh, hugging Stiles closer. "But it's still his choice."

Stiles sighed and set his head on Derek's shoulder. "I know."

Derek turned his head and kissed Stiles' hair. "Where are we going to eat?" he asked.

"I was thinking we could go to Jerry's. They have amazing curly fries." Stiles grinned at Derek. 

Derek laughed a little. "Anything for curly fries," he teased. "Alright, lead the way."

Stiles pressed closer and slipped his hand into Derek's back pocket as he pulled Derek towards Jerry's. 

Derek hummed approvingly, reveling in having Stiles close enough to touch. "I've missed you," he murmured. "I always do."

Stiles tilted his head so he could kiss Derek softly. "I missed you too."

Derek stopped, cupping Stiles' cheek and kissing him back hungrily.

Stiles smiled and pulled back after a while. "You can't kiss me like that if you still want lunch."

"True," Derek admitted lowly. "Maybe I should have got a hotel room."

Stiles hummed, slipping his hand up the back of Derek's shirt. "It's not too late to get one now."

Stiles' stomach rumbled, and Derek let out a startled laugh. "It's not," he agreed. "But we should still eat first."

Stiles sighed, feigning being put-upon. "Fine. We'll eat before the mind-blowing sex."

Derek laughed even louder, hugging Stiles tight. "God, I love you," he breathed fondly.

Stiles grinned. "I love you too. Now let's eat."

\-----

Stiles whined as he watched Derek get ready to leave, his best puppy dog eyes out in full force. "Why do you have to go?"

Derek smiled a little, pausing to pull Stiles into a hug. "I've been here for almost a week," he pointed out. "I have to go home sometime."

"But the puppies can take care of anything that shows up. They don't need Big Bad Alpha there." Stiles climbed up into Derek's arms, wrapping his legs around his waist.

Derek's hands came up to support Stiles' ass automatically, even as he laughed. "There's only so long I can diplomatically be here," Derek pointed out. "Besides, most of the 'puppies' are away at college, same as you."

Stiles groaned, flopping over Derek. He looked over as the door opened, indicating Bitty getting back from class. "Eric, make him stay. Do those doe eyes."

Bitty laughed and put his things down by his desk. "As much as I want Derek to stay, he needs to go back."

"I do," Derek agreed. "It's been lovely being here with both of you, but I need to go home."

Bitty smiled. "And we'll be seeing him at Spring Break."

"And you'll be seeing me at Spring Break," Derek echoed. "Are you going to let me finish packing now?"

Stiles shook his head. "Nope. You'll just have to work around me."

"Eric, you want to help pry him off?" Derek joked.

Bitty laughed. "Cmon. Let's go bake some cookies for Derek to take back with him."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "I'm definitely in favour of that idea," he said.

Stiles pursed his lips and reluctantly let go of Derek. "Fine. But you have to promise to share."

"I'll share," Derek promised, giving Stiles a quick kiss. "You could just make more after I'm gone, you know."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Share with the pack, Der."

"They only have to wait another week before you two come down and can make as much as they like," Derek pointed out, grinning. "I'm justified in cherishing a gift from my mate."

Stiles softened against his will and sighed. "Ugh. Fine."

Derek laughed, pulling Stiles into a fond kiss.

Stiles grumbled but didn't pull away until after a long moment had passed. "Get off me, you big lug. I have to go bake for you."

Derek smiled. "Love you," he said softly.

Stiles smiled and ducked his head. "I love you too."

Derek glanced over at Bitty, who was looking embarrassed over by the door. "I'll let you two go bake," he said, still smiling gently.

Stiles walked over to Bitty and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "C'mon, then."

Bitty smiled and turned to Derek. "We won't be long."

"Have fun," Derek said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bitty is at peak adorable in this chapter


	13. Interlude: Spring Break

Bitty giggled as Stiles bounced along, chattering at eighty miles an hour about his pack and how excited he was to see them all for the first time since Christmas. He kept talking as they collected their luggage, only quieting as he spotted Derek and raced off to greet him. 

When Stiles started running, Derek stopped moving, opening his arms and bracing for impact.

Stiles crashed into him, holding tight to him and grinning. "I missed you."

"It's been a week," Derek pointed out, laughing. "...I missed you too."

Stiles pulled back just enough to kiss him. "I love you. And I miss the puppies, so let's get going."

"Love you too," Derek murmured. "We should probably retrieve Eric first, you know."

Stiles just turned and waved Bitty forward from where he was standing and trying not to stare. Bitty smiled and joined them. "It's nice to see you again, Derek."

Derek smiled back. "You too," he replied. "Here, let me take one of those bags."

Bitty smiled and handed a bag over. "Thanks. So, from what Stiles had been telling me, we're heading right for the pack house?"

"Yeah, straight there," Derek replied, starting to walk towards the exit. "You're the last to arrive, so it's a full house tonight."

Stiles grinned, bouncing on his toes. "This is gonna be awesome. You're gonna love the pack, Eric. Seriously. And I'd chew my own dick off if they don't love you."

Bitty let out a startled laugh. "Um. Well. Let's hope that's not necessary."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Do you need to run around for a bit before the drive?" he asked dryly.

Stiles shook his head. "Nah. I had a coffee just before we grabbed our luggage, so the caffeine should be kicking in soon and then I'll probably just doze."

Bitty smiled and looked over at Derek. "He's been like this all week."

Derek smiled back, slinging his free arm around Stiles' shoulders."You can sit in the back, then," he said.

Stiles nodded and nuzzled into Derek. "It'll be a good chance for you to get Eric up to speed on everything."

"Up to speed?" Derek asked. "Are you planning a pop quiz?"

"No, like. Pack shit. What to expect. I've talked a ton, but I can't remember what I said." Stiles shrugged. "Like. Talking about the cuddles and shit."

"You're a lot better at explaining that than I am, you know," Derek pointed out. "You've got a human frame of reference."

"Yes, and I'll be napping, so it's up to you, big guy." Stiles patted Derek's chest. 

"Fine," Derek said, shaking his head. "If you insist."

\-----

Once they were out of the city and Stiles was, as predicted, asleep, Derek glanced at Bitty. "So what  _ has _ Stiles told you about the pack?" he asked.

Bitty sighed. "Well. He's said a lot. Like how Scott's his best friend, how Lydia is the most amazing person ever, things like that. But I still don't know how the pack actually works."

Derek chuckled. "Alright, I'll give you the basics, then," he agreed. "But really, they're just people. You'll get to know them once you meet them."

Bitty gave Derek a nervous smile. "Yeah. I hope so. I just hope they like me."

"Well, I like you," Derek pointed out. "And Stiles loves you. So, even if they didn't like you, they'll treat you just fine."

Bitty sighed. "Yeah. I guess. Maybe I'll bake something when we get back... "

Derek shook his head. "You'll be fine," he promised. "Anyway, those explanations you wanted?"

Bitty glanced over. "Well, I just want to make sure I don't step on any toes, you know? I don't want to do the wrong thing."

"The first thing you need to know," Derek decided, after a pause, "is that apart from me, everyone's your age. They were all in the same grade, and the pack came together during high school. So don't worry about anyone being formal or fussy or anything."

Bitty nodded. "Okay. That's reassuring." He was silent for a moment. "But is there... I don't know. Protocol and stuff?"

Derek shrugged and made a 'so-so' motion. "Depends on the pack, and the circumstances. Today, with us?" He shook his head. "No. My bet is that we'll walk in, everyone will pile on Stiles, and when they eventually stop hugging him, he'll introduce you, and then they'll get distracted catching up." He glanced sideways and smiled. "In addition to being the oldest, I'm also the only one who grew up in a werewolf pack."

Bitty looked over. "Wow. I bet that was... " He bit his lip against his questions. "Wow."

Derek smiled. "Go ahead and ask," he said. "It's fine, really."

Bitty looked over, trying to read Derek. "What was that like?"

"I mean, I don't have a basis for comparison," Derek pointed out. "But it was...warm. Noisy. A full house. I don't know if that makes sense."

Bitty gave him a small smile. "It sounds nice. I'm an only child, so. A full house sounds nice."

"It was," Derek murmured. For a moment, there was silence.

Eric looked over and squeezed Derek's arm, sensing that there was a lot of history there. 

"They - died," Derek said abruptly. "Nine years ago. I...tell Stiles I said he can tell you everything except how she got access. He'll know what I mean."

Bitty looked over. "Derek... sweetheart, I don't need to know. This is obviously hard for you. I don't need to know."

Derek thawed a little, tight muscles relaxing. "Yeah?" he asked.

Bitty nodded. "Sometimes being a friend is more important than knowing."

"...thank you," Derek murmured, resettling his grip on the steering wheel. "I don't talk about them much."

Bitty gave him a small smile. "If you ever want to talk, I'm here. But you never have to."

Derek glanced over, smiling back, his face still a little sad. "We got distracted," he said quietly. "I was talking about pack dynamics."

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. So... why does Stiles call the pack ‘puppies’?"

Derek snorted. "Because he's a jerk, basically," he explained bluntly. "Most werewolves take  _ serious _ offense at being compared to dogs."

Bitty laughed. "He is kind of a jerk. But he's a lovable jerk."

"I won't argue with that," Derek replied.

Bitty looked over and smiled. "How long have you been together?"

"We had a complicated beginning," Derek admitted, thinking back with a fond smile. "But there was...something, from the summer coming up on three years ago now. He insists our anniversary is June 16th, but I'm fairly sure he just picked a day."

Bitty smiled. "That sounds like Stiles. You two really love each other."

"He taught me it could be safe to fall in love," Derek confessed quietly. "It still scares me sometimes, but having him is worth it."

Bitty squeezed Derek's arm again. "I'm glad you have him."

"Thanks." Derek smiled. "You know, I still haven't told you any of the things Stiles wanted me to."

Bitty laughed. "Okay. You better do that."

Derek nodded. "So, basic pack structure is one alpha, who is the leader of the pack, plus however many betas. A werewolf without a pack is called an omega, and it's...it's very hard to be an omega. Wolves aren't meant to be alone."

Bitty nodded. "And... Stiles mentioned humans can be in packs?"

Derek nodded. "Most commonly as the partner of one of the wolves, or as someone who grew up in the pack," he said. "Lycanthropy isn't always inherited."

"So Stiles is pack because he's your boyfriend?" Bitty checked.

"He was pack before then," Derek admitted. "It's one of the things that makes us a little unusual. It was...kind of like a blood brothers thing, really."

Bitty nodded. "Oh. Wow. Okay. I guess that makes sense."

Derek laughed. "No need to be polite," he said. "It really doesn't. But once pack ties are established, the rules don't really matter."

Bitty looked over. "And how do you make pack bonds?"

"There are shortcuts," Derek said, "but they also grow naturally." After a moment, he added, "They aren't just metaphorical, by the way."

Bitty blinked. "Oh? What does that mean?"

"I mean that I can feel, here," Derek let go of the steering wheel with one hand to touch his chest, "that I have eight packmates."

Bitty's jaw dropped a little. "Wow. What else can you tell?"

"Not a lot," Derek admitted. "Mostly how close they are to the pack, physically and mentally. If something's very wrong, I can sometimes tell that as well."

Bitty forced himself to not think about how useful that would have been during the utility closet situation. "You sound pretty tight knit."

"We are," Derek agreed, smiling.

Bitty smiled. "I'm starting to get like that with the team. Trusting they have my back and stuff."

"That's really great," Derek said warmly. 

Bitty looked over at Derek. "I'm really excited to meet everyone."

"I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you too," Derek replied. "There's no point going into detail about who's who now, but I'll give you the basics, okay? There's Scott, Stiles' best friend, and he's been dating Allison even longer than I've been dating Stiles. Then there's Erica and Boyd, both werewolves, and they've got something complicated but they don't call it dating. Isaac's going out with someone, but you won't meet her - she's not in the pack. And then there's Lydia and Jackson. They've been on-again, off-again for years, but these days it's more like off-again with occasional one-night-stands. Allison and Lydia are the two humans other than Stiles."

Bitty mouthed the names to himself, trying to build a mental map of the group. "Okay. Uh... do werewolves have food allergies?"

"I don't think born werewolves can," Derek said, frowning a little as he thought that over. "Bitten werewolves might, I guess, but it wouldn't  _ go _ anywhere, if that makes sense. As far as I know none of them have foods they don't eat, except Lydia tends to diet and Isaac doesn't like spicy food. But you can ask when we get there."

Bitty nodded. "So no one would have an objection to apple pie?"

"Eric," Derek said seriously, "if one of your apple pies isn't  _ devoured _ by my pack within five minutes of it being cool enough to eat, I'll - I don't know. I'll something."

Bitty laughed. "Well, I'll just have to make two, then."

"Everyone's going to love your food," Derek promised. "But don't feel like you have to cook if you're not in the mood, okay? They'll cope."

"I bake when I'm nervous,” Bitty said with a shrug. “It's just a thing I do."

Derek glanced at him, smiling. "I know. But still."

Bitty smiled back. "And Stiles has told me about your kitchen."

Derek laughed. "Yeah, okay. Have you got any other questions about things?"

Bitty shook his head. "Not yet."

"Well, let me know if you do," Derek said. "Or just ask, no one's going to care."

Bitty nodded and tried to relax a little. "Okay. I guess."

"It'll be fine," Derek promised.

\-----

Derek could hear the pack's excitement as soon as he got out of the car. Apparently, they'd decided to wait in the house, though. "Prepare to be mobbed," he warned Stiles.

Stiles just laughed and ran towards the house, throwing the door open. "Puppies!"

Scott crashed into him, quickly followed by Isaac and Erica. 

Derek, meanwhile, stayed behind with Bitty, gathering up Stiles' luggage.

Bitty couldn't help but flinch away as the pack crashed into Stiles, his heart skipping and spiking. He swallowed and tried to get himself under control. 

"It's okay," Derek said quietly. He should have realised Bitty might be uncomfortable. "Do you want me to show you to your room so you can put your stuff down while they catch up?"

Bitty swallowed. "Um... I don't really want to go through that crowd... "

Derek nodded. "We'll go through the kitchen door, then. Come on." 

Bitty gave him a grateful smile, following him. "Thanks. It's just... I don't want to do my fainting goat routine, you know? That would be a bad first impression."

"It's fine," Derek reassured him, leading him around to the side of the house. "We all have our issues. I should have realised this might be a bit much for you."

Bitty shook his head. "No, it's fine. You don't need to think about my issues."

"Eric," Derek said seriously. "You're my friend. I want you to be comfortable. That means thinking about your 'issues' so I don't make you  _ uncomfortable _ ."

Bitty was a bit flustered by that, and he tried out a few responses before just saying thanks. 

Derek smiled at him, and fell silent. Unlike Stiles, quiet didn't bother him. A moment later, he opened the kitchen door to let Bitty in.

Bitty paused as soon as he saw the kitchen, his jaw dropping. "Oh. Wow. Do you have baking ingredients?"

Derek grinned. "I buy the basics in bulk," he said. "But I'm sure there's specifics you'll want, so let me know and I'll put it on the shopping list."

Bitty quickly rifled through the cupboards, easily coming up with everything he needed for apple pie. He soon had a pie crust ready, and an impossibly short time later, the pie was in the oven.

Derek watched, slightly bemused. "You didn't chill that crust," he said. "Or blind bake it."

Bitty blinked, seemingly coming out of a trance. "Oh. I could have sworn I did."

"...No, you really didn't," Derek said thoughtfully. After a moment, he shook his head. "Never mind. Do you want to take your things upstairs while that bakes?"

Bitty nodded, taking his bags. "Okay. Where am I sleeping?"

"Ground floor is all communal rooms, although there's a sofa bed in the library in case someone can't get up the stairs for some reason," Derek explained, leading Bitty to the stairs. "Second floor has a room for everyone, and then the attic is divided into a storage space and a guest room. We're not putting you there, though - Allison never uses her room, so you can have it."

Bitty shook his head. "Oh, no. I couldn't possibly put Allison out. My mama would tan my hide if I put a lady out of her bed."

Derek laughed. "She wouldn't be in it anyway," he said. "She always shares with Scott when she's here."

Bitty blushed a little and glanced up at Derek. "Then why does she have her own room?"

"Because when we built this house I wanted to make it clear to her that her place in the pack wasn't contingent on Scott," Derek replied. 

Bitty melted at that. "Aww, Derek. That's so sweet."

Derek ducked his head. "It was important," he insisted, leading Bitty down the corridor and opening the door to his room. "I have a bad history with her family. She needed to know."

Bitty smiled and patted Derek's arm. "You're a good friend."

"Thanks, Eric," Derek murmured. "Anyway. I'll let you get settled. There's a bathroom at each end of the hall, so that's the next room along. Come downstairs whenever you're ready."

Bitty nodded, giving Derek a smile. "Thanks. I'll be down in a moment."

\-----

Bitty made his way downstairs after a while, his jaw set against his nerves. He slipped into the kitchen, switching the oven off and pulling the pie out. It was perfectly done, as always. 

Stiles poked his head in the kitchen door. "Hey Eric," he said, "how long is that going to take to cool? Because these guys have been smelling it cook for half an hour, and you are  _ very _ popular right now."

Bitty blushed a little. "Well, it needs a while, unless they want their mouths burnt by boiling apple."

"Damn," Stiles said, grinning. "Guess you'd better come meet everyone, then."

Bitty took a deep breath, steeling himself like he did before he got on the ice. "Okay. Introduce me to everyone."

"Hey," Stiles murmured, coming up and putting a hand on Bitty's shoulder. "It's gonna be fine."

Bitty nodded. "... They won't dogpile me, right?"

"Yeah, I'll make sure of it," Stiles promised. "Plus, wolfy noses pick up on fear and shit. They'll know if you need some space."

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go, then."

Stiles grinned, and pulled Bitty into a hug. "Awesome."

Bitty leaned into him. "Come on. Don't drag everything out."

Stiles squeezed Bitty tight for a moment longer, then led him out to the living room. "Hey guys!" he called, getting everyone's attention. "This is Eric, maker of pies and roommate extraordinaire! No surprise hugs, no tackling, got it?"

Bitty gave everyone a nervous smile, waving a little. 

There was a beat of silence before Erica piped up. "When do we get pie?"

Bitty smiled. "Not for a while, unless you want to melt your mouth shut."

"Stiles should taste-test then," Jackson said. He wasn't as much of a jerk these days, but he was still sarcastic as fuck.

Bitty turned to Jackson. "Maybe I'll give you a smaller slice."

Stiles grinned. "Nice. That's Jackson, by the way."

Bitty nodded. "He matches your description."

Stiles smirked. His description hadn't been flattering. "Well, we all have our crosses to bear," he sighed dramatically. "Moving on... _ this _ wonderful lady is Lydia Martin."

Lydia raised her eyebrows at Stiles, then gave Bitty a polite smile. "It's nice to meet you," she said. "I'm sure the pie will be lovely."

"Dude, did you smell it?" Scott pointed out, completely ignoring that Lydia hated being called 'dude'.

"...and that would be Scott," Stiles said. 

Bitty gave them both smiles. "It's absolutely lovely to meet you. Stiles has told me so much about you."

"He's talked about you a lot too," Scott replied with a friendly grin. 

Bitty looked over at Stiles and nudged him. "Well, he exaggerates, so don't believe everything."

"I don't know," Scott replied. "You having a pie in the oven within half an hour of arriving is pretty on-point."

Bitty ducked his head a little. "Well, what else was I going to do with that kitchen? Ignore It?"

"To be fair," Stiles said. "It's a fucking awesome kitchen."

Bitty smiled at Stiles. "It really is. And it had everything I need for my moomaw's apple pie."

"I  _ will _ get that recipe out of you someday," Stiles promised. 

"Family recipes are sacred, Stiles, you know that," Boyd put in. He'd hung back a little, aware that people sometimes found him intimidating, but he smiled at Bitty. "I'm looking forward to tasting it, though."

Bitty grinned at Boyd. "Thank you. I just can't get this boy to understand." He sighed and shook his head. "My moomaw made me promise to only teach that recipe to my wife." He made a face. "Which I guess means it dies with me."

Stiles snorted.

"No wife for you?" Boyd asked. 

Bitty bit back a smile. "Oh, hon, no. My tastes don't run that way."

Boyd grinned. "Well, I wouldn't want to assume," he said easily.

Stiles was beaming,  _ incredibly _ proud of Bitty for being able to say that, to come out to the pack so easily. He'd come so far.

Bitty smiled. "Well. I'm a pretty safe assumption." He looked over at Stiles, blushing at his expression. "Anyway. Let me go check on the pie."

"You do that," Stiles said, still grinning. 

Bitty hurried out of the room. He came back a moment later with the pie and enough forks for the pack. "Dig in."

"Wait, it's cool alread-" Stiles began to say, but Derek put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"If Eric thinks it's ready, it's ready," Derek murmured with a meaningful look. "Don't bring it up."

The quiet conversation was covered up by the enthusiastic noise of the pack swarming the pie. "Do we just...eat it from the tin?" Isaac asked, taking a fork.

"That's what my team does, and they seem to like it just fine." Bitty sighed. "The first time I met them, they ate it with their hands."

"From the  _ dish _ ?" Allison said, eyes widening. 

Scott took a bite and made an indecently pleased noise. "I can see why," he said. "This is amazing."

Bitty nodded, sighing. "Hockey players have no manners, honestly." 

Isaac made a vague noise of agreement, his mouth full of pie. 

Lydia sighed. "Werewolves don't either."

"Seriously, dig in," Stiles told her, following his own advice and moaning around a mouthful of pie. "You don't want to miss this."

The pie was gone in minutes, to everyone's disappointment. "Stay here forever," Erica begged. "You can have all the kitchen supplies you want if you keep cooking for us."

Bitty laughed. "Oh, well, my team would be disappointed if I never came back." At least he hoped they would be.

Isaac pouted. "But we have loads of money for pie ingredients."

"And don't you love the kitchen?" Scott chimed in.

Bitty laughed. "I do, yes. It's certainly more... maintained than my kitchen."

Stiles snorted. "Eric's normal kitchen is in a frat house," he explained.

Lydia's eyebrows shot up. "I'm pretty sure frat houses are supposed to be well maintained."

Bitty laughed. "Not this one. It's apparently haunted, and the first time I went there, there was a cabinet that only had sriracha bottles."

"Sriracha is good stuff," Boyd said, smiling, "but that's pushing it a bit."

"The Haus isn't technically a frat house," Derek added. "It belongs to the hockey team. And it's pretty run down."

Bitty sighed and nodded. "I'm not sure why it's not condemned. I think you could probably get something from the couch."

"If I had to guess?" Stiles said. "Shenanigans. Probably by Shitty."

"Wait, shitty?" Erica asked. "Is that - is that someone's  _ name?" _ She started laughing. "You're kidding, right?"

Bitty laughed. "Uh, no. Shitty Knight. One of our forwards. His first name is a closely guarded secret, likely because his family are all rich assholes."

"And everyone just calls him Shitty?" Scott marveled. "Really?"

Bitty nodded. "No one knows his real name. His lecturers call him Shitty or Mr Knight."

"It's less weird when you've heard everyone else's nicknames," Stiles added. "They legit call their team manager Lardo."

Bitty nodded. "Hockey nicknames are weird."

Lydia glanced over at Stiles. "Well, I suppose it's a culture."

Bitty nodded. "There's a lot of weird things in hockey culture."

"I'd agree with you, but it'd be a bit of a pot-calling-the-kettle-black situation," Stiles said, grinning. "Since we're also deeply weird."

\-----

On Tuesday morning, Stiles shooed everyone except Bitty out of the kitchen once the dishes were clean, and opened up a locked cupboard in the corner.

Bitty bounced on his toes, grinning as he watched Stiles. "This is so cool."

Stiles glanced over his shoulder and grinned back. "If you say so." The contents of the cupboard were a mix of pots, cooking utensils, and tupperware containers of ingredients. The ones he only ever used a small amount of were in a spice rack hanging from the door, whereas things like mugwort were in large boxes. Everything was labelled.

Bitty stepped forward to look in the cupboard, his eyes flicking over the more specialised ingredients. "So what are we using?"

"We're restocking, basically," Stiles said, getting out the double boiler and passing it to Bitty. "I only keep small quantities of the most useful herbs in my kit, and the rest of it I have pre-prepared. Which means today we're making oils, salves, and syrups." Next he grabbed the huge can of olive oil (it was cheaper to buy in bulk).

Bitty nodded, setting up the double boiler. "So what would you use these for?"

"Most of my stuff is for healing or protection," Stiles explained, putting the oil on the bench and getting out his container of agrimony. "This one's good for magical wounds, especially from the fae, and it's also a good base for other healing mixes, so I make it pretty often." He scooped about a cupful into the pot and nodded at the oil. "Add enough of that to cover, plus about an inch," he told Bitty. 

Bitty nodded, carefully pouring the oil in. "That sounds really useful. Are there recipes for just... mundane bruises and stuff? Because good Lord, but the boys get knocked about."

Stiles made a face. "Kind of," he said, "but it's complicated." He got out the arnica, showing it to Bitty. "This is arnica, right? It's good for bruises. And because it's good for bruises, you can buy arnica cream in a pharmacy, if you want."

Bitty hummed. "I know. I use it, but it doesn't seem like it works as well as it could." He looked over. "It seems like a little... magic would help."

"There's a bunch of ways magic can work with a salve or whatever," Stiles explained. "What  _ I _ tend to do is use the herbs as a channel for my magic when I apply it. It gives my magic a bit of a boost, and a bit of structure, and a bit of longevity."

Bitty drooped a little. "Oh. Well, I don't have any magic, so I'm not sure that helps."

"There are other ways," Stiles reassured him, putting the arnica away and getting out the ingredients for the nine herbs salve. "It's possible to imbue ingredients with magic as you work, so that they...well, so they know what to do later. I'm pretty crappy at it, but this one was worth me learning, so I can show you. I need to make more anyway."

Bitty smiled. "That sounds nice." Having something on hand for when one of his teammates inevitably developed a huge bruise seemed like a good idea. The less blue and purple and green he saw in the locker room, the happier he'd be.

"This recipe is an anti-poison thing, it's actually super old," Stiles explained, measuring everything out. "There's a charm I have to chant three times over each ingredient before I do anything, so it's gonna take a while."

Bitty nodded, pulling out his phone. "Do you mind if I write it down?"

"Go ahead," Stiles said. "It's no secret. You can join in once you've got the hang of it." Focusing on the mugwort, keeping the purpose of the salve in his mind, Stiles began to chant the spell.

Bitty frowned, focusing hard on transcribing the words and actions Stiles was making. He joined in on the third time through, closing his eyes to make sure he got the words right. 

Having a second person chanting in time really gave the whole thing a boost, Stiles thought to himself as he moved on to the plantago. He looked at Bitty to make sure they were able to start together, and began chanting again.

Bitty noted the next ingredient and smiled at Stiles, chanting with him. There was almost a rush to it, a giddiness. Bitty figured it was probably from the excitement of working actual magic. 

Stiles smiled back, pausing once the three repetitions were over. "Do you think you can grind while you chant?" he asked, nodding at the mortar and pestle.

Bitty nodded. "I could probably do anything while I grind."

Stiles grinned. "Good, cause it all needs to be powdered. Just make sure you're one behind me and this'll be a lot faster." He eyed Bitty thoughtfully for a moment, then added, "While you do, think about what the chant  _ means _ . There are poisons that will kill even a werewolf. This mixture can save them."

Bitty nodded, frowning slightly. "Okay. I can do that. What's next?"

"More chanting," Stiles said, resigned. "Three times for every ingredient. Ready?"

Bitty nodded, grabbing the mortar and pestle so he could start grinding. "Got it."

Stiles nodded back, blew out a breath, and focused on the next ingredient. He took a deep breath, reminding himself what he was here to do, and started chanting again.

Bitty soon settled into the rhythm of grinding, helped by the steady beat of the chant. The pestle soon grew pleasantly warm to his touch, though he supposed that was just his body heat. 

Soon, the two of them were barely pausing between each ingredient, and  _ wow _ , Stiles wanted to work with Bitty again on this kinda shit, it was great. When he was finally done chanting over the crabapple he stopped, holding up his hand to let Bitty know, and the silence rang.

Bitty put his hands on the counter, biting his lip as he waited for his next instructions. He watched Stiles closely, his hands still warm and twitching. 

"...wow," Stiles said slowly, turning to look at Bitty. "That was...a lot more intense than usual." Actually...he frowned thoughtfully. "You know what, you finish up grinding, I'm just gonna grab something from my kit." Most magic wasn't naturally visible, but there were ways to see it.

Bitty nodded, carefully making sure the mortar and pestle were clean before he started gathering the next ingredient. "Still with the chanting?"

"No chanting needed for this bit," Stiles said. "Just before we start on the ingredients, and you can use it to give a boost as you apply it. But if you want to, go ahead."

Bitty nodded and smiled. "Well, I like it. So. I think I'll keep doing it."

"Alright, then, I'll keep quiet," Stiles promised. "You go ahead." 

Bitty nodded, taking a deep breath before starting the chant. His eyes slipped partly closed as he worked, leaning into the rhythm. 

Stiles went to his kit, opening it as quietly as he could and looking around for his eyebright. He dabbed a little oil on each eyelid, giving it that little  _ twist _ that activated its more magical properties, and opened his eyes. 

Bitty looked... _ golden _ , like warm sunshine, and that golden glow had spread to the ingredients he'd handled, making them look almost alive. The red glitter of Stiles' magic was there too, but compared to Bitty, it was practically inert.

Bitty carefully worked through the chant three times, his eyes opening as he finished. He transferred the ingredient to another plate, making sure he got all of it. 

"Eric," Stiles said quietly. "Take a moment and see what you can sense about the powdered herbs. Does anything about them seem different to the unpowdered ones, aside from the obvious?"

Bitty looked over and frowned a little, but did what Stiles asked. He hovered his hands above the powdered herbs, then the unpowdered ones, occasionally picking them up so he could look at them and smell them. "The powdered ones feel... warmer. Like they're emitting warmth."

Stiles nodded. "That's because there's more magic in them," he explained. He held up the vial of eyebright oil. "Would you like to see?"

Bitty grinned and nodded, stepping over to Stiles. Seeing magic? Of course he wanted to!

"Close your eyes," Stiles murmured, carefully pouring a drop of oil onto his fingertip. "This is eyebright, good for a lot of things to do with eyes and vision, among them, seeing what is really there. So..." He dabbed the oil onto Bitty's eyelids. "Open your eyes and see, Eric."

Bitty blinked and turned to the counter, his jaw dropping a little. "Oh. Wow. Okay..." He ran his fingers over the golden energy, giggling as it reacted to his touch. There were little specks of red flecked through it, but the golden light was almost overwhelming. 

Stiles laughed. "It likes you, huh?" he teased. "Can you change it at all? Make it grow, or change shape?"

Bitty glanced over, then looked back at the magic. He frowned as he focused, pulling on the magic. He laughed as it followed his hand, reaching out to wrap around his fingers. 

"Of course it's friendly," Stiles said, shaking his head fondly. "It's yours, you know."

Bitty's head snapped around to look at Stiles. "Uh... what? It's mine? What do you mean?"

"Look," Stiles said, reaching out for the golden glow. His hand passed through it without any effect. "And see how the unpowdered herbs only have the sparks? You added the gold stuff, Eric. That's all you."

Bitty's jaw dropped. "That's... I have magic?"

Stiles smiled. "You have magic," he agreed. "This is gonna be way more powerful because of you."

Bitty laughed, shaking his head. "This is so weird."

"Weirder than werewolves?" Stiles pointed out. "Derek noticed a few hints before this. You're a natural kitchen witch."

Bitty looked up at Stiles. "Hints? What hints?"

Stiles smiled. "Sometimes you get distracted and skip steps, and it doesn't make a difference to the results."

Bitty looked back at the herbs. "I do seem to be able to do things faster than other people... "

"You served us pie fresh out of the oven and it was at edible temperature," Stiles pointed out. "I don't think you've been doing much with it, just making sure things come out the way you want, and maybe a little faster than usual."

Bitty looked up at Stiles. "So I could do more with it?"

"Based on this?" Stiles said, gesturing at the glowing herbs. "Yeah, you can do more. Remind me to have a chat with you about magical ethics later."

Bitty smiled and ran his fingers through the magic again. "This is amazing."

Stiles laughed a little. "I'm gonna be using a lot of eyebright on you, aren't I?"

Bitty grinned at him and nodded. 

\-----

"Well," Stiles said, looking over the collection of jars on the bench, "today was certainly productive."

Bitty looked up at Stiles. He was a little giddy from the huge outflux of magic, his fingers tingling from putting so much energy into the salves and oils. 

"Okay, wow," Stiles said, eyeing him with concern. "Time for you to sit down, I think."

Bitty giggled, listing into Stiles' side. "I feel floaty."

"Yeah, okay, shit, you need grounding," Stiles muttered, changing direction and heading for the kitchen door.

Bitty followed him, leaning on him. "Okay..."

"You used a  _ lot _ of energy today," Stiles explained, leading Bitty outside and onto a patch of grass. "Here, lie down on the ground," he said.

Bitty flopped onto the ground, humming happily as he tilted his face into the sun. 

"Focus on the warmth of the sun and the solidity of the earth beneath you," Stiles murmured, sitting down.

Bitty settled, doing as Stiles said. He felt himself settle, almost melting into the grass.

"That's great," Stiles murmured. "I'm just going to wipe away the eyebright now, okay?"

Bitty nodded, smiling softly. "Okay."

Stiles reached over and gently wiped the oil off Bitty's eyelids, then did his own, relaxing as his vision returned to normal. "You did good, Eric," he said warmly. "Thanks for helping."

Bitty opened his eyes, focusing on Stiles. "Hey."

"Hi," Stiles replied, smiling. "Feeling less spacey now?"

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. I felt almost high."

"It's a bit of a rush," Stiles agreed. "I shouldn't have let you do so much."

Bitty carefully sat up. "I'm fine. I just need practice."

Stiles shook his head. "Right now, you need to be in your body some more," he said firmly. "We should eat something, and then we'll go for a walk."

Bitty nodded. "Okay. Food sounds good."

"But  _ no _ cooking," Stiles said firmly. "Not for the rest of today. I'll make us some sandwiches."

Bitty pouted and sighed. "Alright."

"The chances of you accidentally trying to do magic if you cook again today are pretty high," Stiles explained, getting up off the ground and offering Bitty a hand. "Your brain needs a break, and your magic."

Bitty used Stiles' hand to haul himself up. "I suppose you're right." He gave Stiles a smile. "Still. That was pretty cool."

Stiles smiled back. "You did great," he said, pulling Bitty into a hug. "Well done."

\-----

Stiles didn't even try to talk to Bitty about anything serious that afternoon. But the next day, he sat him down to talk about what they'd do next. 

Bitty's leg bounced as he watched Stiles, trying to be patient as he waited for Stiles to start. 

"So...magic," Stiles said. "Do you have any questions before I start rambling?"

Bitty nodded. "Well. Mostly... what am I gonna be able to do."

Stiles nodded. "Magic can do a whole lotta shit, but what you've shown an aptitude for so far is making things that are imbued with magic. You probably won't be able to conjure a light out of nowhere."

Bitty nodded. "Alright. Yeah. So, could I imbue magic in other things?"

"You're obviously not limited to food," Stiles said. "I'd guess just about anything that has a 'recipe'-type process would work for you. I'm not sure about other crafts, but possibly. You'll find out with practice." He paused. "There's some ethical stuff you need to keep in mind, though."

Bitty nodded, crossing his legs. "Okay. Ethical things. Got it."

"Let's take that bruise balm we made, for example," Stiles said. "Using it on yourself? Totally fine. Using it on me? Also fine, since I know what's in it and how you made it. One of the pack? You could probably just tell them 'Stiles and I made this, it's for bruises', and that would be cool. But if it's one of your team, that's different."

Bitty frowned. "Why? Couldn't I tell them its for bruises? Why is it different?"

"You can totally tell them it's for bruises," Stiles said. "But you need to make sure they know the ingredients, in case they have any allergies. And if you ever give them something to take internally, there's a possibility it might conflict with medication they're on or a health condition they've got. Just because it's magical doesn't mean it's not medicine too."

Bitty nodded slowly. "Yeah. Okay. I can see why. So, the problem's not the magic, then?"

Stiles shrugged a little. "The magic's part of it. But because you're already telling them what it's for, that's fine." He gestured at Bitty's bracelet. "Like, I told you that was for luck and protection, even if I didn't tell you I had reason to think it would  _ work _ . Even if you don't explain things all the way, you want to get people's consent to what you're trying to do."

Bitty looked down at his bracelet, shaking it a little and smiling. "Yeah. Okay." He smiled up at Stiles. "So could I make little protection things?"

"You could," Stiles said. "Or luck, maybe. I think you'll probably have an affinity for emotional magic? Making something to make people cheerful, that kind of thing. Of course, you've gotta be careful with that. But I think you'll be able to figure it out."

Bitty smiled and pulled his phone out to start making notes. "Maybe I could put luck in pies. For game days."

Stiles made a face. "That's where it gets tricky," he said. "Not that it's a bad idea. But using magic kinda...adds more chance into things? Like adding energy to a closed system. The wiccans call it the rule of three."

"Rule of three." Bitty nodded. "So it makes things more unpredictable?

"Well, say you bake luck into a pie," Stiles explained. " _ Maybe _ that luck means someone on your team makes a game-winning goal. But maybe it means someone runs into an old friend, or a family member calls up with good news, or there's a pop quiz that they read up on the night before. Maybe it means they get hurt and end up in hospital, but one of the nurses turns out to be the love of their life."

Bitty frowned, nodding slowly. "Right. Okay. Don't bake luck into a pie."

Stiles shrugged. "If everything's already going to shit, luck can only help," he admitted. "And a generalised, low-level luck charm is unlikely to do any harm. But if you've got a specific goal in mind, better to go for something more predictable, like protection or courage or determination."

Bitty nodded. "Okay. That makes sense." He smiled. "Though things don't go to shit for me very often. I mean, not as often as it seems to for you and the pack."

"Yeeeaah, there's some...reasons for that," Stiles said with a snort. 

Bitty gave Stiles a curious look. "What are those reasons?"

"I mean, first up, we go looking for trouble," Stiles admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Because we're better able to deal with it, you know? Derek will put himself in the firing line every time if it means ordinary humans don't get hurt."

Bitty frowned a little. "And that doesn't worry you? I mean, if my boyfriend was constantly throwing himself headlong into danger, I think I'd have a heart attack." He shook his head. "I mean, I worry about the team, and the dumbest thing they do is drink too much."

"It's something we've had to learn to live with about each other," Stiles said, making a face. "I'm about as bad as he is, really. And, well..." He sighed. "I could do without the self-sacrifice. But the protectiveness is something I really love about him. He's a good person."

Bitty smiled. "He is a good person. I think you're really lucky to have each other, honestly. I only hope I can find a boyfriend who loves me as much as Derek loves you."

"I'm sure you'll get lucky someday," Stiles said, shifting closer and wrapping his arm around Bitty's shoulders. "You're very lovable."

Bitty smiled and leaned in to Stiles. "Thanks. Now, back to this whole magic thing... do you think it'd work with knitting?"

Stiles shrugged. "I think the best way to find out is to try it and see," he said. "Do you think you'll remember what it feels like when something has magic in it?"

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. I think I will. It's all... warm, and glowing."

Stiles smiled. "Yeah, your magic suits you perfectly," he said fondly. "Well, now that you're aware of it, you might have some issues with your subconscious control over how much you use. So I'd like you to practice a few things, okay? First off, see what you can tell about the magic you put into things without tools like the eyebright to help. How much you put in, where in the process you do it, anything you can tell about the purpose. And secondly, see if you can consciously control put in more or less magic when you cook."

Bitty grinned. "Sounds like fun. Oh! Do you think I could literally bake love into a pie? Because that sounds nice."

"You definitely could," Stiles replied, "just as long as you're careful about the type. Platonic  _ only _ , got it?"

Bitty frowned for a second before understanding crossed his face. "Oh! Of course! I'd never... "

Stiles relaxed a little. "No, I know you wouldn't mean to," he agreed. "But there  _ are _ some people out there who think using magic to encourage romance is...playing fairy godmother. On the side of the angels." He gave Bitty a serious look. "It's not. Don't  _ ever _ mix magic and romance. And if you have reason to think you did so accidentally, tell me  _ right _ away, okay?"

Bitty nodded. "Yes. Of course. I'd never want to... want to influence anyone like that."

"Good," Stiles said firmly. "I've...seen how  _ not _ innocuous that sort of thing can be. It's not something I'm willing to tolerate."

Bitty nodded. "I won't. I promise." He hoped Stiles believed him. 

"I don't think you will," Stiles reassured him. "Just...know that if you ever change your mind on that, I  _ will _ find out. And I  _ will _ find you."

Bitty nodded. "I don't doubt that at all."

"Good." Stiles nodded, then blew out a loud breath. "And on that happy note, I think that's enough for today. Wanna go find Derek?"

Bitty grinned and nodded. "Yes. Definitely." He adored Derek, felt... drawn to him. He didn't know why, but he always felt safe with him around. 

"Cool," Stiles replied, standing up. "Let's go."

\-----

"Eric?" The door to 'Bitty's' room was open, but Derek knocked anyway, letting him know he was there. "While Stiles finishes packing, do you mind me talking to you about something?"

Bitty looked up from where he was folding shirts, smiling. "Yeah, of course." A tiny bit of tension went out of his shoulders as Derek entered the room. 

Derek smiled, a little amused by how neat the room was compared to the chaos Stiles was currently generating in their own bedroom. "Stiles and I have told you before that you could be a member of this pack someday," he began.

Bitty paused for a second before nodding. "Yeah. You did."

"Being a member of a pack has its advantages," Derek said, "but for a human, there are fewer, and the disadvantages are more."

Bitty nodded slowly, wondering where Derek was going with this. He ran his hands over the shirt in front of him, a little confused. 

"Pack isn't a hundred percent permanent, especially for humans," Derek explained, "but it  _ is _ long-term, and living far away from the pack is hard. You'd be automatically involved with the supernatural, which can put you in danger, sometimes life-threateningly so."

Bitty nodded again, sitting down on the bed. "Okay?"

Derek sat as well. "You being a magic-user evens the scales a little," he admitted, "but still...taking you into the pack would be putting you at risk.  _ Please _ , think about it carefully."

Bitty gently set his hand over Derek's on the bed. "Derek, honey, I have no clue what you're talking about."

Derek looked down. "I guess...we tend not to talk about it," he said quietly. "...lots of supernatural people will avoid conflict. But those that do, end up clashing with local packs. In large part because of how we protect our territory. In that kind of situation, human members can become targets for intimidation, kidnapping, violence...what Stiles has gone through terrifies me."

Bitty nodded. "Yeah. Human pack members are in danger. I get that." He paused. "I still have no idea why we're having this conversation."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked. "You've spent a week living at the pack house, making friends with everyone, and helping Stiles replenish our supplies in case of danger. You know how much Stiles cares about you, and now you're pretty much his magical apprentice. And you can't guess?"

Bitty frowned. "Yeah, I'm your friend? But... I don't get it."

Derek laughed a little. "Eric, you're  _ welcome _ here," he said. "You're halfway to pack already - we all treat you that way. Everyone loves you."

Bitty flushed a little, going a bit misty-eyed. "Oh. Really?"

Derek smiled at him and gently pulled him into a hug. "Really," he promised. "I'm so used to thinking of you as pack that you're showing up in the pack bonds, a little. You  _ matter _ to us."

Bitty leaned into the hug, feeling warm and secure in Derek's arms. "Wow."

Derek stayed where he was, rubbing Eric's back a little. "Take as long as you want to think about it," he said quietly. "But until I tell you otherwise, the offer to join our pack is open. If you want it, you'll have a home here."

Bitty looked up at Derek, practically climbing into his lap. "Yeah. That... maybe when I graduate?"

Derek smiled at him. "Like I said, take your time," he reassured Bitty. He took in a deep breath, sorting through the scents. "Are you doing okay?"

Bitty nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Just. Happy to be here."

"Good," Derek said firmly. "We're happy to have you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick PSA: don't use herbal medicine/remedies if you don't know how it's going to react with other things you're doing and what side effects it may have. Anything strong enough to have an effect is strong enough to have side effects, and those need to be managed.
> 
> What do you think of Bitty the kitchen witch?


	14. 1.21 - Banquet

To say that Bitty was confused and a little unsure about everything in his life was an understatement. Finding out that he was a magic user, that he was already halfway to being in a werewolf pack...it was a complete departure from everything he thought about how the world worked. And to come back to the team after all those revelations almost felt unreal. It was nice, in a way, going from wondering if he should throw himself into a world of supernatural danger back to simple hockey. Hockey was still dangerous - his concussion was proof - but the supernatural world seemed to be an order of magnitude worse. So mourning the team’s finals loss, coupled with the voting for captain, had been a nice distraction. 

Stiles had noticed how overwhelmed Bitty was - he was quieter than usual, and kept his chatter away from serious topics. So Stiles didn't push it. He kept a quiet eye on Bitty's magic use, and let him otherwise distract himself with the hockey team. 

Bitty was practically flying as he walked back to the dorm after the end of year banquet, clutching his award and still flying off one of the friendliest conversations he'd ever had with Jack. He grinned at Stiles as he walked into the room, flopping down onto his bed. 

"I take it you had a good night?" Stiles said, grinning back.

Bitty held out the award, grinning. "They like me."

"Of course they like you," Stiles said, rolling his eyes as he came over to look. "What is it?"

"The award for the player who best embodies team spirit." Bitty sat up and held it out.

Stiles grinned at him. "That's fantastic, Eric! Well done!"

Bitty beamed back. "They really think I'm part of the team."

"If you're not part of the team, what's the last year been about?" Stiles asked, hugging him.

Bitty basically climbed into Stiles' lap. He might not have officially been part of the pack, but he still felt the urge to cuddle in close. "Well, I'm on the team, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm  _ on the team _ , you know?"

"I know," Stiles agreed. "But dude, you're on the same line as the captain. You've got ice time in every game."

"And I was the captain of my high school team. I still never got invited out with the team." Bitty rested his head on Stiles' shoulder. "These guys actually like me."

"Yeah, they like you," Stiles agreed, a little sad at how much Bitty obviously needed the reassurance.

Bitty smiled. "I really like this team. And can you believe that they really don't care I'm gay?"

"I can believe it," Stiles said warmly, reaching up to scratch his fingers through Bitty's hair. "But I'm glad  _ you're _ starting to believe it too."

Bitty grinned, pressing his face into Stiles' chest. "Yeah."

\-----

Bitty entered the dorm in a bit of a different mood a few days later. He sat on the edge of his bed, eyeing Stiles a bit nervously. 

Eventually, Stiles glanced up from his laptop, raising his eyebrows at Bitty's expression. "What is it?"

"So... you know our goalie, Johnson? Well, apparently there's this tradition that the graduating seniors pass on their rooms in the Haus to younger guys? It's called dibs - I don't really get why, but. That's what it's called." Bitty took a deep breath, shaking himself a little. "Anyway. Johnson gave me his dibs."

Stiles realised the significance instantly. "You're moving into the Haus?"

Bitty nodded slowly. "I think so? I mean. Johnson told me I should. Or I think he told me I should."

Stiles made a face. "I really don't like that guy," he muttered. He shook his head. "Eric, you like your team, and building up friendships with them is a good thing."

Bitty pouted a little. "But I won't get to live with you."

"I'm not gonna pretend that doesn't suck," Stiles said, spreading his hands. "I'm gonna miss the fuck out of you. But I still think sticking with your team is a good plan."

Bitty walked over, leaning into Stiles. "You'll have to come help me bake."

"Of course I'll come bake with you," Stiles promised, wrapping his arm around Bitty's shoulders. "I have to help you practice magic, after all."

Bitty smiled, leaning into Stiles a little more. "Good. I want to keep baking with my best friend."

"Your best friend, huh?" Stiles said, rubbing Bitty's shoulder.

Bitty smiled. "Well. Yeah. You're my best friend."

Stiles pulled Bitty into a tight hug. "I will always, always pick up the phone for you," he swore. "Got it? If you ever need me, just call."

Bitty nodded, hugging Stiles just as tightly. "Okay. Same to you."

Stiles didn't really think so, but he appreciated the intent. "Thanks," he said quietly. "I'm sure you'll have fun with those guys next year."

Bitty nodded. "And you better be over all the time."

"I promise," Stiles replied.

\-----

Stiles waited until Eric had headed out to the library before he called Derek, his hands a little shaky. 

Derek picked up almost immediately. "Hi," he said, and waited to hear what was going on.

Stiles sniffed a little. "Eric's moving out."

"What?" Derek asked, standing up. "Did something happen? Are you okay?"

"No, no. He got offered a room in the hockey team's house. I told him to take it - he should bond more with them." Stiles sniffed again. "Kinda sucks, though."

Derek sat back down, relieved. "I'm sorry," he said gently.

Stiles sighed. "I know he's not pack. I know. It's just... "

"He's the only pack you've got," Derek murmured.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. And I know he's not... he's not properly pack." Stiles flopped over onto Eric's bed, sighing. "But he really, really feels like pack."

"I know," Derek said quietly. "I'm sorry, Stiles. I wish I wasn't so far away from you."

Stiles smiled a little. "But this is the right place for me. We both decided."

"We did," Derek agreed gently. "I can come visit you more? And maybe some of the others can make it."

Stiles smiled. "Yeah. And I'll have to take you to see Eric, too. Or he'll be mad."

Derek smiled. "Of course. He's my pack too."

Stiles smiled. "Yeah. He is." He nuzzled into Eric's pillow. "Think he'll join the pack properly?"

Derek thought about it for a little bit. "I'm not sure," he eventually admitted. "I think he might not stay in Georgia, but...if he puts down roots around Samwell..."

Stiles groaned. "Ugh. We need to make sure he doesn't date anyone around here."

Derek laughed, rolling his eyes. "As if you would," he said. "You'd be miserable if he was unhappy."

Stiles whined. "Yeah, but I also want him to join the pack."

"It's going to be years before the two of you graduate," Derek pointed out. "Give it time. Enjoy what you've got for now."

Stiles sighed. "Why are you so sensible?"

Derek smiled. "One of us has to be," he replied. "Or do you want me to shut up and make sympathetic noises?"

"I want you to cuddle me, but you can't, so. Sympathy, please." Stiles pulled Señor Bun out of his hiding spot, cuddling him. 

"I'd cuddle you if I could," Derek promised wistfully. "I can't wait for the summer."

"You're gonna have to cuddle me so much. And we're gonna have to Skype with Eric." Stiles was quiet for a moment. "Or road trip to Georgia."

"Georgia's almost as far as Massachusetts," Derek said. "Skype, unless he needs us."

Stiles sighed. "Yeah. Okay."

"Thank you," Derek murmured. "I love you."

Stiles smiled a little. "I love you too."

"No matter what happens with Eric, I'll still be here," Derek said gently. "You'll be okay."

Stiles took a deep breath. "Yeah. I know."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Derek murmured.

"I love you, Derek. Like. A whole ton. And I can't wait to see you again." Stiles smiled. "Thanks for talking to me."

"Any time, love," Derek said warmly. "I miss you too, you know."

"I know. But there's not long left until summer." Stiles sat up, shifting his weight a little. "Then we have ages together."

"We will," Derek agreed. "Ages to hold each other."

"And make out a whole ton. Like, so much." Stiles grinned. "And have a ton of sex."

Derek laughed. "Yeah, lots of that."

Stiles smiled. "And I'll get Eric to send me with a care package too."

"How's he going?" Derek asked. "With the magic."

"He's doing pretty well. Slowly learning to control it," Stiles said. "We tried knitting, but neither of us have the patience, so we're trying crochet now."

Derek grinned. "And no more highly emotional pies?"

"Well, there's been a few frustrated pies. He still stress-bakes. But he's getting better." Stiles smiled. "A few happy pies."

"That's good to hear," Derek said warmly.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah. Once he figures it out, he's going to be an incredibly competent kitchen witch. Honestly, I can't wait. The sooner he can take over stocking our pharmacy the better."

"Is that how it's going to go?" Derek teased.

"That's how it's going to go. I mean, why wouldn't we take advantage of the awesome kitchen witch in our midst?" Stiles grinned, enjoying joking with Derek. 

Derek laughed. "As long as he's happy to be taken advantage of, you can go right ahead," he agreed. "His stuff is certainly effective."

Stiles grinned. "It really is. He's so good at it. I used a bit of bruise ointment on the results of an encounter with a coffee table, and it healed in a day."

"He puts a lot of love into it," Derek said, smiling.

"He really does. It's kinda amazing." Stiles smiled, settling down on the bed again. "He's amazing."

Derek hummed. "You really like him, don't you?" he asked quietly.

Stiles nodded even though Derek couldn't see him. "Yeah. I do."

"You don't..." Derek began hesitantly, then shook his head. "Never mind."

Stiles frowned. "I don't what?"

"Don't worry about it," Derek told him. He was ashamed he'd even thought of it, really.

Stiles sighed. "Derek. Talk to me, please."

"Sorry," Derek said quietly. "I just...for a moment I wondered if you might want something more with Eric. But I shouldn't have."

Stiles was quiet for a second. "Yeah, I love Eric. But like I love Isaac or Boyd. You're my mate, Derek. That overrides everything."

"I know it does," Derek murmured, a little relieved. "Still, if you really did want him...I'd try to make you happy."

"I know. That's one of the reasons I love you." He smiled, feeling warm inside. "And I do love Eric. But like pack, not like a mate."

"Okay." Derek settled, relaxing. "Even if it was someone else, I would try, you know."

Stiles smiled. "Yeah. I know. But you don't need to, Der."

"I love you," Derek murmured. "I can't wait for the summer."

Stiles grinned. "Not long now."

"No," Derek agreed. "Not long."


	15. 1.22 - Goodbye for the Summer

Bitty couldn't believe an entire year had passed already. It felt both like it had only been a few months, but also several years - so much had happened. All the things he'd be leaving at college were in his room in the Haus, and everything else was packed. All that was left was to say goodbye to Stiles and head to the airport. 

Stiles  _ wasn't  _ packed. He'd been avoiding the dorm, actually - avoiding the evidence that Bitty was leaving. That strategy could only work for so long, though.

Bitty grinned as he finally caught Stiles, running over. "Hey! I've been trying to find you."

"Uh, hey," Stiles replied, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to extract the promise of regular Skype sessions from you." Bitty smiled, bouncing a little. 

Stiles smiled back, doing his best to look cheerful. "Of course," he said. "You'll have to keep us updated."

"And you have to keep me updated too! And I'll be sending you tons of care packages," Bitty promised cheerfully. "I'll keep you in pie."

"You don't have to do that," Stiles insisted. "You don't want to be paying postage to California all the time."

Bitty waved a hand. "Nonsense. You're friends."

Stiles frowned, making a mental note to figure out some way of paying Bitty back. "Alright," he agreed, a little reluctantly. "You'll call me if you have trouble with the magic, right?"

Bitty nodded. "Of course. Though I'm sure I won't - you're a wonderful teacher."

"Thanks," Stiles said, feeling fond. "Still, I don't know if things will be different in your home kitchen, so be mindful, okay?"

Bitty nodded and smiled. "I will. And I'll do even better than normal in the county fair."

Stiles snorted. "I have no doubt." He sighed, and pulled Bitty into a tight hug. "I'll miss you," he admitted. "Keep in touch, okay?"

Bitty nodded, hugging Stiles just as tightly. "I will. I'll miss you too."

Stiles squeezed his eyes shut, doing his best to savor the moment. "If you get into trouble, if you need me, or Derek, or the pack,  _ call _ , okay?"

Bitty nodded, nuzzling into Stiles. "Yeah. Of course. You'll be the first people I call."

"I'll miss you," Stiles said again. "I just...I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. But I'm gonna miss you a lot."

Bitty pulled back a little and smiled. "I'm gonna miss you too. But we'll be back here before you know it, and I'll be hounding you for more magic lessons."

Stiles smiled - a little weakly, but he did smile. "Sounds good," he agreed. "You have a good summer, Eric."

Bitty smiled and set his cheek against Stiles' the way he'd seen the pack do. "I will. You do too. And make sure to call me."

Stiles laughed a little, relieved. "I'll call," he promised. "Be safe."

Bitty nodded and smiled. "Well, I don't think there are vampires in Georgia."

"Jesus Christ, Eric, are you  _ trying _ to run into trouble here?" Stiles exclaimed. "Don't tempt fate like that."

Bitty laughed. "Okay. I won't. But I'll be fine, Stiles."

Stiles huffed. "Alright. And if people are dicks to you, just remember, you've got friends here, and in California."

Bitty smiled. "I know I do. I have a hockey team and a pack."

"Good," Stiles said firmly. "So that's two extra families. Don't let your own make you unhappy."

Bitty pulled Stiles in for another hug. "I won't. I promise."

"Good," Stiles said firmly, squeezing Bitty tight. After a long moment, he sighed and let go again. "Have a good summer, Eric. I'll miss you."

Bitty took Stiles' hands, squeezing. "I'll miss you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Inkinhart and I didn't end up writing Year Two, so it's up to you to imagine what happens from this point onward. We hope you've enjoyed this AU, and thanks for all your lovely comments!
> 
> At this point, I'd like to do a special shout-out to All's Well That's Samwell (https://archiveofourown.org/series/798642) by HugeAlienPie - another super-awesome Teen Wolf/Check Please crossover that definitely inspired me when I was working on this one. Go check it out!


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